The Gods' Game, Side Story 3
by Liz Inverse
Summary: Lavinia, a Spellsinger, accompanies her Dwarven friend on an expedition to the Giant's Caves only to discover an Orcish secret that was nearly forgotten.
1. Chapter 1

_Author's Note: If you like soundtracks to your stories, I highly reccomend "The End" from the Man on Fire soundtrack, for the sadder parts of this story._

-Year 2 after Sharmin's Disappearance-

"Good work; you've mastered all the spells for your class." Lavinia congratulated the young Wizard in front of her. The younger student beamed at her with all the gratitude he could muster before turning and racing out of the Magic Guild, whooping in joy as he went. She let the proud smile that she had plastered upon her face drop as he disappeared, and sighed heavily.

"Good work." The Head Summoner of Aden Castle Town, Radyss, complimented her as she sat down. Lavinia cast him a tight-lipped smile before pulling a book from the shelf behind her to read. Radyss was an elegant looking Elf, with his straight, long blonde hair that had been slicked away from his face and his long blue robes. "Shall we go get a drink once your shift is through?" he asked suavely, perching himself on the low chair back and pushing the hair from around her neck in an affectionate manner. Lavinia sighed, but did not pull away from him.

"I'll be too tired tonight." Lavinia responded in a bored tone, turning the page in her book.

"Are you sure? We can go to my quarters, much more comfortable and forgiving on the tired soul than the noisy inn." He offered, stroking her neck with the back of his finger. Lavinia rolled her eyes and shook her head lightly, ignoring the brush of his fingers on her skin. Radyss had been attempting to court her since her arrival in Aden, but she really had no interest in someone nearly two hundred years her senior. He was incredibly dry and stuffy, and believed everything had to be done with ceremony with an utmost show of elegance. Lavinia, who had grown up taking care of her younger siblings after their parents were killed in the war with Gracia, was a bit too independent and tomboyish for someone like him. He needed someone like her sister Cesa, who was a bit ditzy and extremely girly. Living with Narlafayn had also brought out a more human-like personality in her; one she didn't realize was forming until after she and Mune had left the Elven Forest.

Lavinia had traveled the continent with her younger sister for a year before she had received a summons from the Hierarch in the Elven Village to go to Aden and live there until further notice as a Magister. The assigned Magister to the Magic Guild there was on maternity leave, and her child had been born with complications to her health. Lavinia was to remain there until the Magister felt well enough to return to her duties. Now closing in on a year, Lavinia began to wonder if the Magister was really that sick, or if she was just escaping from the endless duty of teaching the young Wizards and Spellsingers by claiming she was.

Mune had remained in Aden until she realized the Magic Guild was right across the street from the Dark Elven Guild. She promptly left the city that day without so much as a goodbye. Lavinia had heard from her a few times since she had disappeared. The last letter she received was from Goddard, where Mune claimed she was stocking up for a trip to Rune. She'd heard they were keeping a healthy Mother Tree hidden from the world in their temple. If she could get one sapling sprout from the tree, she could return with it to the Forest, and give it to the Hierarchs there to grow. It was curious how Elmore could have a healthy Mother Tree while the Elven Forest could not. Perhaps it was the close proximity with the Dark Elves' black magic and the Sea of Spores after all. She hoped Mune could keep her temper in check long enough to discover their secret.

"Sidekick!" a small, pink-haired Dwarf proclaimed as she bounced through the door, "Let's go to the Giant's Cave!" Lavinia glanced at the small person as she stopped in front of her and chuckled before returning to her reading.

"I can't leave Aden, Ichigo. I'm sorry." She murmured, turning the page in her book.

"Yes, she wouldn't want to go to such a disgusting waste of land anyway." Radyss added with a sneer, looking down his nose at Ichigo. Lavinia sighed heavily and halted herself from rolling her eyes yet again. This was yet another thing she hated about Radyss. He believed that the race of Light Elves were superior to every other race, especially Orcs and Dwarves. Lavinia herself couldn't exactly say she was fond of Orcs, given their harsh history with one another, but she saw no reason for his dislike of Dwarves. Some, like the cat-eyed one in front of her, were downright cute.

Ichigo was from the largest recorded family in Dwarven history by the name of Pixie. None of her siblings were very old yet, but their mother was still churning out children like clockwork. Lavinia couldn't believe her ears when she'd heard about it. She often wondered if their mother had any feeling left in her lower parts after that many children. Ichigo had told her that each of their family was good in a profession, and that hers was being a "magical girl". Everyone from the Pixie family seemed to be a bit odd, so Lavinia never bothered to question what that meant.

"I think you're going bald!" Ichigo exclaimed, staring at Radyss' head with large eyes. Always worried about his own appearance, Radyss stood up quickly and retreated back to his post with one hand on his head. He picked up a hand mirror to inspect his hair and slammed it down with a glare to Ichigo as he realized she had been lying.

"Be nice now, Ichigo." Lavinia chuckled, turning the page again. Ichigo sighed and plopped down to sit at her feet, staring up at her with the expression she had grown accustomed to being Ichigo's attempt at guilting people into her will. "Ichigo, I can't go with you while I'm on duty, I'm sorry. Why don't you go by yourself? You're strong enough." Lavinia stated, not looking at her.

"But a magical girl can't go anywhere without her sidekick! It's just not right!" Ichigo proclaimed stubbornly.

And just how did I become your sidekick, anyway?" Lavinia asked, looking over the top of her book.

Ichigo's face brightened up as if someone had lit a candle inside of her, and she sat up straight. "Because the sidekick is always the one who bestows the Magical Girl with her magical powers! You're gonna teach me magic some day, so it's only proper!" she decided firmly. Lavinia shook her head, amused. Ichigo had been insisting that Lavinia were to teach her magic since the first day she had discovered the Elf was a Spellsinger.

"Stop spouting rubbish, there's no way an Elf would teach a Dwarf anything." Radyss said in an icy tone from across the room. A human Magister paused in his explanation to a student, and they both turned to stare at him. The Head Magician coughed once, trying to return the atmosphere in the Guild to that of a place of learning.

"Come along, Ichigo, I'll walk you out." Lavinia said smoothly as she stood and placed her book back on the shelf.

"I don't like him, he smells like mildew." Ichigo said, wrinkling her nose as they exited. Lavinia resisted the urge to laugh as she heard Radyss choking in disbelief behind her.

Away from the eyes of the Guild, Lavinia stretched as far as she could, letting the tension from being cooped up in the dark building release. She was never one to stay inside for long, although she wasn't quite as outdoorsy as Cesa.

"How much longer you gotta stay in there, anyway?" Ichigo asked with a pout, looking up at her. Lavinia shrugged as she stretched her arms at the shoulders.

"Until Magister Winonin is better, I've told you this before." Lavinia said, leading Ichigo towards the center of the city.

The square was busy today, as a caravan of merchants from Schuttgart had set up in town, displaying wares from the northernmost parts of Elmore. Lavinia paused near a merchant selling flowers made of ice that were resistant to even the intense summer heat bearing down on the city this day. The flowers intrigued her, and she crouched down to the Merchant's blanket to inquire where he had found them.

"She looks well enough to me." Ichigo proclaimed, pointing. Lavinia stood and turned to the direction Ichigo was pointing curiously. Sure enough, Magister Winonin stood in the square holding her year-old baby and browsing a merchant's cart. Behind her, laden with packages, was Winonin's husband. "Yay, now we can go to the Giant's Cave!" Ichigo exclaimed happily, bouncing.

"Honey, shouldn't you be planning on returning to work instead of buying more things we don't need?" Winonin's husband's voice came, shifting packages that threatened to topple. Lavinia turned her attention to them intently, listening for her response.

"Yes, wrapped up." Winonin was saying to the merchant. She cuddled her baby as she waited for the merchant to finish wrapping her newest purchase. "No dearest, the Head Summoner told me not to return until he had Lavinia's hand in marriage. He's made it so they believe I had complications bringing our precious one into the world and that I need extended recovery."

Her eyes hidden from a shadow cast over her face by her layered bangs and hair, Lavinia marched over to the Magister without a word and snatched her wrist. Bewildered, the Magister could only gawk as Lavinia dragged her back through the square towards the Guild.

"So he wants my hand in marriage, does he?" Lavinia growled through clenched teeth. "Forcing me to stay until I break under his will, is he? We'll see about that."

"You can't do this!" Winonin protested, trying to keep a firm hold on her baby as Lavinia's grip on her wrist tightened. "This is abuse!" She looked over her shoulder for her husband, but he was still standing at the merchant, packages piled so high in front of his face that he hadn't seen the abduction of his wife. Ichigo followed the pair happily, skipping and humming as she swung her star-topped blunt back and forth.

Lavinia finally halted inside the Magic Guild and brought the Magister around roughly, causing her to stumble. She gave Radyss a cold look and proclaimed, "I quit."

Finding their farce in danger of being exposed, Winonin suddenly sunk to her knees, coughing. The noise made her baby cry, giving her a very feeble and pathetic appearance. "This woman is insane!" she said, her voice raspy. She looked up at the Head Magister with tear-filled eyes. "She suddenly burst into my home and dragged me from it, telling me I had to return to work or else!" she sobbed prettily despite her coughing fit and wiped a tear from her eye before it was visible.

"Lavinia, what's the meaning of this?" The Head Magister, Drikiyan demanded, glaring at her.

"She's faking it." Lavinia said in a hard tone of voice, folding her arms over her chest.

"Don't be absurd, can't you see she's still ill?" Radyss exclaimed, kneeling at Winonin's side. "There there, I'll escort you back to your home you poor thing." He crooned, taking her arm gently and helping her stand.

"Dearest, the merchant wanted to know if you wanted to do the two-for-one deal, and that your purchase is wrapped." Winonin's husband suddenly said breathlessly. Five pairs of eyes turned to look at him as he stood in the doorway, still laden with packages. The human Magister began to laugh in his corner, turning away from the display and hiding his mouth with his hand.

"Not now, dear." Winonin said through clenched teeth, all appearance of being sick gone.

"Oh, so you're returning to work? Splendid! I take it Radyss finally got Lavinia's hand in marriage, congratulations you two!" the Light Elf exclaimed, setting down some of the packages to applaud.

"Excuse me?" Drikiyan asked, staring pointedly at Radyss and Winonin.

"I'm leaving now, bye." Lavinia said quickly, stepping away from the Magisters and towards Ichigo. She stood outside the door, batting at bees that swarmed around the potted flowers.

"You can't leave, you have a duty here!" Radyss exclaimed, standing. "You'll never get to the Ivory Tower with me if you leave!" he said, reaching towards her.

"Who said I wanted to go to the Ivory Tower in the first place?" Lavinia asked, halting him with a cool stare. Lavinia smiled at Ichigo as she exited, and the pair gratefully walked away from the Magic Guild.


	2. Chapter 2

Not long after leaving the Guild, Lavinia had taken off the green Magister dress she had been required to wear and put on her maroon Doom robes that she had been wearing when she first arrived. After gathering supplies, she and Ichigo headed out the east gate and began the long trek towards the Giant's Cave.

They camped out for the night under the low branches of a tree on the Plains of Fierce Battle. Farther to the east, the moans of the undead and restless spirits could be heard from the Cemetery. The air had a strange scent and feel to it, making the hair on the back of Lavinia's neck stand up. She had never been so close to the Forbidden Gateway, Shilen's prison, before.

"Why are you so intent on going to the Giant's Cave anyway?" Lavinia asked her short companion as they ate by a tiny campfire. Ichigo had removed the black cat ears she wore constantly and was brushing her short, shaggy-tipped pink hair with a comb. Compared to those of Ichigo's siblings that Lavinia had met, Ichigo was incredibly girly.

"Midget wants some Giant stuff for some new inventions." Ichigo said lightly, putting her ear headband back on. Lavinia sighed at the obviousness of it. Midget, full name Midget of Plenty, was, what Mune had called, a Mad Inventor. Midget was well known to use the most useless of items and turn them into weapons of mischief. Arming the red-haired Dwarf with Giant's Technology would probably spell doom for the entire world. Midget's twin, Plenty of Midget, was a frightening cross between Ichigo and Midget whom Lavinia had thankfully only heard about in conversation.

Late that night, Lavinia was roused from sleep by the sound of someone rustling through their packs. She opened her eyes slowly, letting them adjust to the dark, her muscles tense. Ichigo lay at her head, and mumbled something in her sleep. Moving soundlessly, Lavinia's slender fingers wrapped around the hilt of her sword, which lay on the grass next to her under her blanket. In one graceful movement, She stood up quickly and swung her blade out towards the perpetrator, only to find herself staring at the point of a pole arm. The tip of her blade was also pointed at the perpetrator's neck. She could not distinguish features well in the night, but judging by the figure, she could tell the would-be provision thief was an Orc. He growled softly and drew the pole arm back enough to give himself momentum before stabbing her. Lavinia held her hand level with her stomach; ready to use an intense Aura spell to knock him away.

"Broud, stop it!" another voice came, distracting him long enough for Lavinia to cast the spell and send him flying backwards. The Orc growled mightily and pushed himself back to his feet, snarling as he charged back towards her. "I said STOP IT!" the voice shouted again. A ball of flame appeared in the darkness, a rune shape in the center of it, and then dispersed, wrapping around the Orc's legs and sending him crashing to the ground.

Ichigo sat up quickly with the noise and pointed her star-topped blunt into the air. "In the name of Blacksmith Pushkin, I will defeat you!" she exclaimed groggily before falling backwards, still fast asleep.

"How dare you rob me of the honor of drawing blood!" the Orc on the ground shouted towards the darkness. Another Orc, more slender in figure and most definitely female, approached the camp and knelt beside the first.

"Broud, it isn't right to take provisions from someone else. I know what you're going through is great right now, but please remember yourself and not loose who you are in the call." The woman said smoothly, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Can I please get back to sleep now?" Lavinia asked, glaring at the pair. She was not one who enjoyed her sleep being disrupted.

"Yes, I am sorry we disturbed you. It won't happen again." The woman said, looking up at her. Trusting the word of the woman, Lavinia lay back down and pulled her blanket high over her shoulders.

"Don't take our provisions, Aden's only a few hours travel from here, go get some there." Lavinia grumbled as she shut her eyes. She was back asleep in moments, the Orcs forgotten as her dreams began.

The next day dawned quicker than Lavinia wanted, and she found herself being prodded awake by a bright-eyed Ichigo. After a quick breakfast the two packed up and began their journey once again. There was no sign of the Orcish pair as they left, and Lavinia wondered if she had dreamt the entire thing.

Several days later they happened across a pair crouched by the banks of Narsell Lake. One stood as they approached, and Lavinia tensed as she realized they were the Orcs from that night. Sighing heavily, she shifted her pack and changed their direction of travel towards the lake.

"Is everything alright?" Lavinia asked, halting several feet away. Now in the daylight, Lavinia could see the Orcish pair clearly. The woman had brown hair that was braided and wrapped up in a high ponytail on top of her head. She wore a richly embroidered purple and gold set of armor that appeared to be more of a bikini with a loincloth draped down the front than actual protection. Her companion on the ground was in heavy silver armor, and had stiff, short brown hair. As he looked over his shoulder at them, Lavinia could see his face had been tattooed or painted with lines from his eyes and around his chin. He winced and turned back towards the lake, and Lavinia couldn't help but notice his skin had taken on a strange gray pallor.

"We are alright, we are just resting on our trek to the east." The woman said bravely, squaring her shoulders.

"Hey, we're going east too!" Ichigo exclaimed happily. Lavinia looked at her in shock, not believing that Ichigo had actually just announced their destination to complete strangers. It was hard to trust anyone you'd meet while traveling; one usually did not announce their goal to anyone.

"I see. I suppose we shall meet again on the way there." The woman said, nodding. Her expression was hard to read, as an opaque gray veil covered her face and left only her eyes visible.

"Why don't we travel together?" Ichigo asked, putting a hand to her chin in thought. She nodded and clapped, a wide grin spreading on her face. "Yes, we'll travel together! A magical girl can never have too many sidekicks!" she decided, reaching for the Orc's discarded travel pack.

"Don't touch it." The man Orc Lavinia remembered the woman calling Broud commanded. His voice sounded weak, and Ichigo ignored his demand.

"It's alright. We must be going to the same place. It'll be better in the end." The woman said gently to Broud, helping him stand. He stared down his nose at her, not quite glaring, but not quite pleased either.

"Yes, traveling with females while I'm like this. Very good plan, Sprissa." He mumbled. He retrieved his poleaxe from where it had been placed in the grass silently, however, and began following them.

The woman introduced herself as Sprissa, and her companion as Broud. There was something similar about the pair's facial features that made Lavinia wonder if they could be related. They were traveling to the Giant's Cave themselves, Sprissa had told them, in search of any remains of her father. Her mother had left a journal saying that was the place she had lost him in, and Sprissa wanted to return any relics or remains of him to the Orc Lands to the north, to give him a proper and honorable funeral. Broud said nothing, but Lavinia noticed the way he tensed up each time Sprissa mentioned her father.

Broud was strange, he didn't speak much as they journeyed. He seemed to be fighting something internally, and Lavinia was finding the strange, glazed-eyed stares he'd give her or Sprissa disturbing and creepy. She spent most of her time traveling on the other side of Ichigo, making sure the Dwarf was separating her from the Orcs.

They paused on the outskirts of the Forsaken Plains, the only plot of land that Einhasad allowed the Giants to keep. Camped on an outcropping for the night, Lavinia looked down into the valley, intrigued by the strange rock formations that the Giants had left behind. Large swords, covered in rust and vines were lodged in the center of some, and strange circular-topped trees dotted the landscape. Beasts that the Giants had created with their knowledge wandered the plains without aim, confused and lost without their creators to command them. A chill washed through her, and she hugged herself to keep from shivering. Such a sad fate the Giants had succumbed to. The wrath of the Goddess of Creation was amazing; it almost made Lavinia fear her instead of Gran Kain. When one thought of it as such, Demons almost seemed friendly when set next to Angels.

"Cursed ground." Lavinia looked up as Broud's voice carried over to her from where he had perched himself on a rock. His pole arm was propped against the rock next to him, ready in case one of the beasts gave them notice. "Why are you, an Elf of Light, traveling to this place?" he asked, looking at her. Lavinia shrugged lightly and began inspecting her blonde hair for split ends.

"Just traveling with a friend who needed to come here, that's all." She responded lightly, finding one and picking at it. "Why are you traveling here? Sprissa's after her father, what's your excuse?" she retorted, glancing at him. He stiffened and drew in a breath of air, Lavinia's question hitting a sensitive spot in his ego.

"I want to see this pathetic excuse of a father for my own eyes. I want to spit on his remains and instill them in the burial grounds for dishonorable Orcs." Broud sneered, his hand clenching into a fist on his bent knee.

"Sprissa will have a problem with that, I'm sure. How do you propose getting around her?" Lavinia challenged, dropping her lock of hair and putting her hands on her hips.

"Sprissa will let me do as I please; she is but a half-breed woman." Broud said darkly, glaring at her sidelong.

"That's pretty low of you to assume she'll just stand by and let you desecrate her father's remains just because she's a woman. You're pretty stupid to judge someone based on their birth and gender. What are you, from the last era?" Lavinia spat, offended herself. His manner of speaking was reminding her of a rougher version of Radyss, and she didn't like it. "I'll bet she's stronger than you, figuratively speaking. She doesn't strike me as someone bound by such lame ancient traditions." Lavinia added, sniffing indignantly. Broud snarled and before Lavinia could blink, she found herself staring directly into the angry eyes of the Orc. He had pounced upon her and grabbed one of her hands, wrenching it away from her body so she could not cast her aura spell properly.

There was something else too, as she stared into his eyes, a strange kind of look that both chilled Lavinia and made her heart pound at the same time. It was a kind of predatory lust that made her squirm in discomfort. His growling turned soft and to Lavinia's shock, she found him moving his face closer to hers, as if to kiss her.

"Broud!" Sprissa shouted, running towards them. She wrapped her arms around him from the side, trying to separate the two by pushing him back. "Broud, remember yourself! She doesn't understand this, let her go!" Sprissa commanded. He began to shift, trying to shake her off, still staring intensely at Lavinia. Her veil was partially unhooked in the movement, and she reached up to pull it off in annoyance. Lavinia was shocked at how the female Orc's appearance changed in that moment. She no longer looked like an Orc, but a green-skinned Dark Elf.

Realizing words were no longer getting through to the lust-hazed Orc, Sprissa reached up and grabbed Broud's face, pulling it roughly towards hers in a kiss. That seemed to do the trick, and he released Lavinia, who fell ungracefully to the ground. Attention diverted, he roughly pushed Sprissa against the rock and hulked over her smaller figure. Lavinia winced as she heard a crunch, not knowing where it came from, but not liking the sound of it either.

"It's alright." Sprissa murmured, her arms sliding around his sides to hug him. Lavinia stood shakily, not exactly sure what was taking place, but wondering if she should still be lingering around them. She could see Sprissa's face over Broud's shoulder, and it looked as if it were contorted into pain.

"Hey!" Lavinia shouted, alarmed. Sprissa opened her eyes slightly and held up a hand to halt her. Broud grunted once as if straining against invisible bonds before releasing Sprissa and sinking to the grass. The crunch Lavinia had heard came from Sprissa's neck, as a bleeding wound came into view as Broud moved. "Oh my God, are you ok?" Lavinia asked, rushing over to her. She held up her hand and began casting her weak healing spell to halt the bleeding.

"I'm fine. This is a small price to pay to bring Broud back to his senses." Sprissa said weakly. She glanced down at him as he leaned heavily against the rock.

"This is getting bizarre, what is wrong with you two?" Lavinia asked roughly, glaring at him. "Getting that weird look, having an uncontrollable temper… and you! Letting him hurt you like that… are all Orcs like this?" she turned her glare on Sprissa as she spoke, trying to read her expression. Her face softened with the sad, gentle look that Sprissa wore, and Lavinia felt a bit guilty for snapping.

"It's the Rites of Completion." Sprissa began, pulling away from Lavinia to kneel down next to Broud. "When an Orc born of the Rites reaches a certain age, the fire within them comes to life, and they are compelled to participate in the Rites themselves." She pulled Broud away from where he had lodged himself against the rock, and Lavinia was shocked to find that he had fallen asleep. "This is Broud's first year, and he refuses to let instinct guide him. He has been fighting it for nearly a month now." Sprissa laid him on the grass and looked up at Lavinia with a pleading expression. "Please do not judge him based on how he is now. Normally he is nothing like this. The Rites bring forth the most aggressive and basic of Orcish instincts. He's not usually so violent." She stroked Broud's forehead, pushing the strands of hair that had fallen over it, away.

"I'm lost." Lavinia said blankly, staring into the air. "What is the 'Rites of Completion'? I don't believe I've ever heard of it. And why aren't you suffering like he is, if you're an Orc too?" she questioned, looking over her shoulder in search of Ichigo. The Dwarf had somehow managed to amuse herself by climbing one of the wheel-topped trees and stood on it with her star-topped blunt in the air, proclaiming something about justice to the world.

"Well… Please don't be frightened by this terminology, as it has a very honorable reason behind it, but it's a month-long event where Orcs will search each other out to prolong the race. A kind of springtime, if you will, even though it is very much summer." Sprissa said carefully, looking away from Lavinia. The Elf stared into the air for a few more minutes until recognition chimed in.

"You mean it's mating season for you guys?" she said loudly in a disgusted tone, her expression matching her voice. "And he was going to try to mate with me? No thank you!" she exclaimed, shuddering. Sprissa looked worriedly down at Broud before lifting a finger to her lips in a silencing motion.

"Broud would normally not look at any females other than those of the Orc race who are also feeling the Rites themselves. It's a thankful genetic limitation to prevent them from forcing someone into the Rites when they were not willing. However, Broud has been fighting this, as I said, for almost a month. It's getting so bad that he is having trouble distinguishing one female from the next." Sprissa sighed and looked down at him again. "I do not feel these urges because I was not born from the Rites. Being only half Orc also prevents me from feeling anything as well, as it cancels out many Orcish instincts." She tilted her head curiously as Lavinia had crouched herself on the ground, hugging herself and staring at the grass in horror.

"He was going to mate with me…" she said in a low voice, shuddering. She stood up quickly and turned on heel towards Ichigo. "Nekomimi, we're out of here. Let's go!" she called loudly. Still on the wheel-tree, Ichigo looked down at her with large eyes.

"Wait! He's not bad, I swear!" Sprissa called as Lavinia walked away.

"That's not the point." Lavinia stated calmly, looking at Sprissa over her shoulder. "The Rites aren't over yet, right? I'm not so submissive like you, if he's that unstable, I don't want to be anywhere near him right now, capiche?" Lavinia turned away from the hurt look Sprissa was giving her to continue on her way towards the Dwarf who was now dangling from the side of the tree, swinging her legs comically. "If he gets over this in the next day or so, we'll see you over there." With that she walked away from the pair, eager to get as much space between them as possible.

"Are they ok?" Ichigo inquired curiously as Lavinia led them away from the outcropping. Night was falling, and Lavinia knew it was dangerous to travel through the plains in the dark. She would rather take her chances with the beasts rather than a lust-crazed Orc any day, though.

"They'll be fine. Sprissa said she'd catch up with us as soon as Broud is feeling better." Lavinia lied. The young Dwarf pondered this for a moment, and then shrugged, her destination too close for her to worry too much about wayward companions.


	3. Chapter 3

They entered the caves at midnight, the sounds of wind howling around the cliffs that the Cave was burrowed into the only sounds that met Lavinia's ears. Lavinia and Ichigo quickly dispatched a white tiger-beast that prowled the entrance, but the first room they entered was strangely devoid of any life.

"Is this really a cave?" Lavinia asked as she looked around her in wonder. The walls had strange symbols carved into them and were criss-cross with angular, pulsing green veins. It was completely built up, like the interior of a building, and not like a cave at all.

"Aw, there's no Giant stuff here. Lets go in farther." Ichigo pouted, walking towards the exit on the opposite side of the room. They crossed another long bridge that led into the cliff wall proper, bringing them into another room full of strange symbols and light. They were attacked by a half-rotted bear-beast in this room, and at the far corner, Lavinia saw her first Giant.

Creatures that looked as if they had been Stakato at one time surrounded it, but now had a strange claw-like device hooked into their head. They floated a few feet off the ground, and hovered close to the Giant. The Giant itself had a large club gripped in one of it's hands, but it's body and head had been covered in rock-like armor which had the glowing lines and symbols etched into it. It wore a tattered skirt around its waist, but it lacked legs.

Much to Lavinia's horror, Ichigo trotted merrily up to it, and began whacking away on its pets. The Giant itself, noticing its pets being attacked, let out a strange growling roar and dragged itself over to her. Before it could raise it's club to hit the oblivious Dwarf, Lavinia raised her hands and cast a spell that shocked the monster with a bolt of lightning. Distracted, the Giant turned towards Lavinia, and began dragging itself towards her at an alarming speed. Lavinia quickly cast more of her water spells in consecutive order, trying to find one that would destroy the monster before it came within distance to hit her. Using her Aura spell just as it reached her, Lavinia let out a breath of relief as the monster suddenly roared underneath its stone helmet, and dropped to the ground.

"Aw, there's nothing here that Midget can use. Let's go in deeper!" Ichigo proclaimed, kicking the unmoving pet before skipping to the entryway into the next room. Lavinia had little time to think about how she had just laid to rest one of the great creatures of the Creation Era before racing off to keep up with the fast moving Dwarf.

The deeper in they went, the stranger the architecture of the rooms became. Lavinia found herself walking over bridges made of nothing but light, staring at statues that had to be over six hundred feet from foot to head of beautiful-faced beings wearing cloaks. In one room, upon a floor made of the green pulsing light sat a being made out of blocks of stone. Smaller square stones floated around its head, and several of the regressed Giants tended to it as if it were their god.

"Midget wants stuff like that!" Ichigo stated, pointing directly at the rock being.

"Midget will have to do without. Keep moving." Lavinia murmured as she pushed the Dwarf along. It seemed as if the block-creature were powerful, with how the Giants themselves tended to it. She felt it a blessing from Eva that they did not notice their presence as they passed through.

In the next room, Lavinia found herself looking at strange, cube-shaped glass cases mounted in various places on the wall. They were full of a thick blue, silver-laced liquid that swirled as if something inside were stirring it.

"What is this?" she wondered aloud, placing a hand upon the glass case. The deformed face of a creature that seemed to be the cross between a Stakato and a dragon suddenly slammed into the glass, it's mouth open in a shout of horror. Lavinia jumped back and looked away, bile rising in her throat at the raw, dissected appearance the thing had.

A growl sounded from near her right ear, and Lavinia spun around to find another Giant, this one with its arms encased in rock stumps, emerging from the shadows behind her. She backed away, her eyes large, until she hit another glass case. Propped up next to it, a rusting red poleaxe fell as she brushed over it, clattering to the ground and drawing the Giant's attention, as well as another who emerged from a hole in the wall.

"ICHIGO!" Lavinia shouted as the Giants darted towards her. The Dwarf had disappeared from the room, finding something of interest elsewhere. Her breath quickening, Lavinia stuttered through her spells as she tried to remember the words to chant them.

There was a snarl, and suddenly the Giant toppled over, it's arm partially severed from its body. Broud suddenly put himself between Lavinia and the advancing monsters, his face contorted into rage.

"I… I don't need your help!" Lavinia attempted to say indignantly. Broud glanced over his shoulder once at her before turning back towards their foes and taking on a battle stance.

"Call it an apology, not help." He murmured before deflecting a strange bolt of light on the blade of his poleaxe before snarling again and swinging. He moved away from her to face the Giants alone as Sprissa caught up with him and began chanting Orcish spells to assist him in battle. Recovering from the momentary awe she felt at watching how much in tune the two Orcs were with each other in battle, Lavinia then began chanting her own spells to assist in finishing off the Giants. The battle was over in moments, and Broud crouched to the ground to catch his breath.

"That helped clear things up a bit…" Broud said between breaths, leaning heavily on his poleaxe handle. He looked up at Sprissa, whose gaze was locked upon something on the floor. Following it, he discovered the red poleaxe that Lavinia had knocked over, still laying where it had fallen. "Where did that come from?" He asked in a hushed voice. Eyes large, Lavinia pointed at the cube that she had backed against.

"Broud…" Sprissa began as he stood, glaring at the cube. Without a word, he lifted his own poleaxe and with a grunt, swung at the cube. Lavinia winced and ducked as the blade hit the glass, leaving a welt, but not breaking it.

"Stop it, they'll come back!" Lavinia hissed, covering her ears in fright. "You'll draw their attention, I said stop it! She said again, casting worried glances towards the three entryways that led into the room. Ignoring her, Broud swung again, this time breaking through the glass. The thick blue liquid spilled forth from the crack and onto the floor, Sprissa and Lavinia backing away from it. The crack Broud had made grew larger with pressure, and the entire cube shattered, blue fluid gushing across the floor in a torrential flood. Lavinia's eyes widened as an Orc, part of his face and body covered with the heavy stone armor that the Giants wore came into view as the fluid emptied. Sprissa gasped and raised her hands to her mouth as the Orc fell forward limply onto the stone ground.

"Ooh, that's a good find for Midget!" Ichigo exclaimed, appearing behind Sprissa. Broud glared down at the unmoving figure of the Orc, his fists clenched and breathing labored. Compelled to look at the Orc again, Lavinia knelt beside him and rolled him onto his back. To her shock he was breathing, albeit weakly. His hair was unbound, and pooled around him in the blue goo still covering the floor. The half of his face that was not covered by the stone helmet that the Giants wore was strangely attractive, something Lavinia found herself thinking in surprise. A sob escaped Sprissa, and Lavinia looked up at her.

"Father…" she whispered before fainting.

Ichigo sat next to the Orc that Broud had freed from the glass cube some hours later on the bridge connecting the Giants Cave with the Forsaken Plains. He was still unconscious, and Ichigo curiously poked and prodded at all the strange attachments the Giants had grafted onto his body. One of his legs had been removed and replaced with the leg of a Bugbear, and a portion of his torso caved in. It was covered with the stone armor; however, hiding whatever modification they had given him from view. They had attached more armor to his right arm, giving it a bulkier appearance. There was a strange stone, tube-like appendage now sticking out of the back of his neck, and a claw-like device with a green crystal in the center was attached to that. The strange floating stones hovered near where his eye would've been had half of his face not been hidden from view. Now that it was dry, the Orc's brown hair was tightly crimped, giving it an almost kinky appearance.

Ichigo plucked one of the floating stones from around his head to inspect it curiously. She released it to drop it to the ground, but found it drew back to his face as if some sort of magnet had attracted it. Amused by this, she made a game of pulling the stones away and letting them fly back to the Orc's face, drawing farther away each time.

"That is no father of mine, that pathetic excuse? That isn't even an Orc any more!" Broud shouted to Sprissa, who looked to the ground in tears. "He is not deserving of any honor. I will kill him here and take his remains to the Crypts of Disgrace and leave him there!" Seething with rage, Broud turned away from Sprissa and marched towards the unconscious Orc with his poleaxe held ready.

"No you don't." Lavinia said seriously, planting herself in Broud's path. "I don't know what's going on here any more than the next person, but you don't go killing people just because they look 'dishonorable'. And besides, I thought this was Sprissa's father, not yours." She lowered her eyelids at him in a glare, holding her arms out to block him from advancing.

"Get out of the way, you know nothing of what we speak." Broud growled, trying to step around her. She moved with him, continuing to block his path. "Move, or I will chop off your arms without a second thought!" he threatened.

"Broud is my half-brother, and that man is whom we share our blood through." Sprissa explained, her voice thick and tear-filled. "After listening to the tales of my great-grandmother and reading about him through my mother's journal… this is almost too much to bear to see him reduced to this." She wept, covering her face with her hands.

Lavinia lowered her arms slowly, staring at Sprissa in disbelief. She parted her lips slightly as Broud pushed past her, not sure how to take the news of Broud and Sprissa being siblings. Broud stopped at the feet of the unconscious Orc, and raised his poleaxe high over his head, his face contorted into hateful rage. Ichigo scooted away from him with large eyes, one of the floating stones gripped tightly in her hand. She attempted to throw it at Broud only to have it sail partway and then return to its position by the helmet.

The Orc groaned lightly and turned his head a bit in slumber, causing Broud to falter slightly. Sprissa suddenly let out a mournful wail and threw herself at Broud, attempting to grab his arms and force them down. Broud struggled with her, trying to wrench his poleaxe from her grip as she grabbed onto the handle and pulled.

"He deserves death!" Broud shouted at her.

"No he doesn't! He didn't ask for this!" Sprissa wailed, pulling the weapon back towards her. As they were struggling, Lavinia darted around them and threw herself over the Orc's large chest, covering his neck with her arms.

"Go ahead, kill him!" she shouted, glaring over her shoulder at them. "You'll have to kill me to get to him though, can you live with that?" The two younger Orcs paused in their struggle to stare at her in surprise.

"This has nothing to do with you, Elf, so don't get involved." Broud growled, pulling his poleaxe from Sprissa's reach with one final tug.

"You're right; it has nothing to do with me." Lavinia said with a shaky smile. "But it's not right deciding who lives and who dies like some sort of power-crazed god." She looked up in surprise as Ichigo planted herself over Lavinia, glaring at the Orcs in the angriest look she could muster.

"If you're gonna kill Lavinia, you gotta go through me first!" she exclaimed, sticking her lower lip out with her pout. She looked down at Lavinia, her glare turning into a friendly grin. "After all, a good Magical Girl sticks up for her friends no matter what!" she said brightly.

"Ichigo…" Lavinia sighed, Ichigo's cheerful nature not fitting the current atmosphere. Her eyes widened slightly as she felt the Orc shift beneath her. She looked at his face as he let out a groan and winced as he returned to consciousness.

He opened his eye slowly, his pupil dilated from being in the dark for so long. He winced again as it focused in the dim light, and glanced around at the surroundings. Lavinia felt herself blushing as he lowered his gaze to look at her, a curious look crossing his features. She silently scolded herself for blushing under the gaze of an Orc, but there was just something about him that she couldn't place, that struck her as attractive. Behind her Broud lowered his axe in shock, the awe at seeing his father move for the first time overriding his anger.

"Who are you?" he asked, his voice raspy from disuse. "Why are you laying on me?" he inquired, shifting underneath her. He lifted his eye slowly to look at Ichigo, who was still perched on Lavinia's back and staring down at him with large eyes. "And why is there a Dwarf on you?" he asked, his voice clearly amused despite the rasp. Lavinia averted her eyes and pushed herself up as quickly as she could, Ichigo rolling off her back and onto the ground like a cat.

"Just stopping a moron from making a big mistake." Lavinia said, glaring at Broud. The Orc began to struggle, and it occurred to Lavinia that he was trying to push himself up to sit. She reached out and took his arm to help him, but he held up a hand to stop her.

"I need to do it alone." He said in a soft voice. Lavinia watched him for a few moments, a tight squeezing feeling enveloping her heart at how pitiful the Orc looked as he attempted to get his atrophied muscles to move. He finally sat, and propped his elbow up on the Bugbear leg to catch his breath. He squinted at the pair of younger Orcs, sizing them up before shutting his eye.

"You must be two of mine." He chuckled. "From the Rites of Completion? I am honored to meet you after all of this time." He glanced back up as Sprissa knelt in front of him slowly and removed her veil. The Orc's eye widened as he looked at her face fully, and his breath all but halted.

"Broud is the son of Desma, the last woman you ever performed the Rites with." Sprissa began, her eyes welling with tears. "I am the daughter of Synshlee…"

Sprissa never got to finish her speech as the Orc's breathing grew labored, and he clutched his hands to the sides of his head. Lavinia winced as she noticed one hand was missing the middle and ring finger, which had been replaced with two square blocks. He stared to the ground with large eyes, his breath coming out in wheezes. The floating stones began to spin around his head quickly with his agitation, creating a strange orbital ring.

His muscles suddenly cooperating, he jumped to his feet without struggle, and took a few steps away from the concerned faces of Lavinia and Sprissa. Broud continued to watch without expression, gripping the handle of his axe so hard his knuckles were turning white. Ichigo clung to Lavinia's waist as she stood, her eyes large with fright at the strange display the Orc was giving them. It seemed to Lavinia that he was replaying some frightful scene in his memory with the mention of Sprissa's mother, and it was causing him great distress.

"Hey…" Lavinia began, reaching out to him as he stumbled around the bridge. He suddenly lowered his hands and stared at them, as if seeing them for the first time, then lifted them to feel his face and the back of his neck. He let out a great mournful roar, throwing his head back and letting it carry to the sky. Ichigo winced and buried her face into Lavinia's robes, frightened by it. A lump formed in Lavinia's throat and she looked away, her heart breaking at the sound.

"Father!" Sprissa cried as the Orc suddenly covered his face and ran to the side of the bridge. Lavinia gasped loudly as he propelled himself over the side of it, tumbling nearly a hundred feet through the air to the Valley of Silence below. The girls dashed to the side to stare over it, Sprissa letting out a mournful cry as the sight of her father's sprawled body met her eyes. Lavinia turned away with a wince, trying not to think about what she had just seen. To her surprise, Broud had disappeared from where he had stood. Lavinia caught sight of his back as he ran through the pass leading back to the Forsaken Plains. There were several tense moments when all that could be heard was the sound of Sprissa's sobbing, and the soft growls of the beasts below them. Lavinia steeled her nerves and looked over the side of the bridge once more, surprise writing itself in her expression as she saw Broud below. He knelt beside the unmoving Orc for a moment before looking up at them.

"He's not hurt bad, something broke his fall." Broud shouted up to them. Sprissa halted mid-sob, which turned into a gasp at this news. Broud secured his spear upon his back and then leaned down to grab his father's arm, which he placed around his neck. He hoisted him from the ground and began trekking back towards the Forsaken Plains slowly.

"Let's go meet them." Lavinia stated, putting a comforting hand on Sprissa's arm. She nodded and sniffled once, wiping her nose on her hand before re-securing her veil back around her face. Lavinia walked slowly behind the half-Orc as she raced on ahead to meet Broud and her father, trying to figure out why relief suddenly flooded her senses so.


	4. Chapter 4

They traveled through the Forsaken Plains that night until exhaustion set in and they were finally forced to make camp. Now burdened with an unconscious charge, they moved slower, and had just reached the outskirts of the Plains. Broud deposited his father against a strange wall that glowed with the strange symbols and lines that graced the interior of the Giant's Cave then went about finding tinder for a campfire. The morning was dawning, bringing with it a biting cold that blew down from the mountains surrounding them.

Lavinia laid herself down to doze on the stiff grass, Ichigo cuddling close to her like a cold kitten. She smiled down at the young Dwarf, who had fallen asleep with her thumb in her mouth like a baby. It was hard to believe she was still very young despite her great strength and battle expertise. At Ichigo's age, Lavinia was still playing tag with Cesa and their brother around the roots of the Mother Tree while a diaper-wearing Mune watched them from the shallow water surrounding the tree with her fingers in her mouth. Ichigo was still very much frightened by all that had happened that day, and had not left Lavinia's side for a moment.

She was jolted awake some odd minutes to an hour later, as the sound of hushed arguing between Sprissa and Broud penetrated her sleep. She grumbled loudly and rolled over, trying to block it out. Things grew silent quickly after that, and Lavinia raised her head groggily to glance over her shoulder to see why. Broud and Sprissa had disappeared, leaving their father still unconscious against the deteriorating wall. Satisfied that they took their argument elsewhere, Lavinia wiggled until she was comfortable again, and returned to slumber.

Lavinia woke again some hours later, rested enough to start traveling once more. As she sat up and stretched, she noticed that Broud and Sprissa were still not present. Ichigo was still fast asleep on her back, her arms and legs splayed out in a childish fashion.

"Did you sleep well?" the voice of the Orc came, startling her. She stared at him with large eyes, having forgotten he was there. She shifted uncomfortably and pulled down her skirt, which had ridden up her legs as she shifted in sleep.

"As well as can be expected…" she responded sullenly, averting his eyes.

"This is good, sleep is needed before travel." The Orc said wisely. Lavinia glanced up, trying to inspect him without giving away that she was staring. Her eyes widened and she looked away again as she found him staring back at her intently. "You are uncomfortable? I am sorry, my appearance must be frightening." He said, his voice surprisingly good-natured. Lavinia blushed with this and cleared her throat.

"You're fine…" she said quietly, standing and brushing the grass from her robes. "It's just I haven't had the best run-in with Orcs these past few days. No offense to you, but I'd rather not be around any during this Rites thing."

"The Rites? Is it that time already?" the Orc wondered thoughtfully, staring into the air blankly.

"Can't you tell?" Lavinia asked, looking at him in confusion. The Orc sighed heavily and shut his eye, suddenly looking exhausted.

"That honor has been robbed from me." He responded. Feeling as if it were too personal of territory to be delving into, Lavinia turned away and began collecting twigs for a new campfire. "My name is Oonugh." The Orc introduced after a moment.

"Lavinia." She responded, depositing a small bundle of wood into a pile. She sat in front of it and concentrated for a moment, silently reciting a fire spell to light it. Looking up, she noticed Oonugh had shut his eyes again, asleep. She stood and watched him for a moment, tilting her head curiously as she wondered how he had fallen asleep so quickly. He began to shiver slightly as he slept, prompting Lavinia to take her unused blanket from her travel pack and pull it over the Orc's legs.

She crouched beside him as she tucked the blanket around his legs, then paused, entranced by the strange armor on his torso. She hesitantly raised a hand and touched the stone encasing part of his stomach. Surprisingly, it wasn't stone at all, but some sort of thick skin that had the texture of stone. It had a similar elasticity as normal skin, and would give when pressed lightly. She ran her hand over it, trying to figure out the glowing veins that criss-crossed it like the walls of the Giant's Cave. Oonugh suddenly jerked back awake with a gasp, and grabbed her hand roughly. He stared into the air as if frightened, not quite awake.

"You're hurting me!" Lavinia winced, trying to tug her hand out of Oonugh's grasp. He released her mechanically, looking down at her in surprise as if seeing her there for the first time. She drew her hand to her chest and massaged it, glaring at him. "This is exactly why I wanted to stay away from Orcs." She grumbled, scooting towards Ichigo.

"I…. I'm sorry." He faltered, looking down at the hand, which had gripped hers.

Things were uneasily silent between the two after that. Lavinia went about cooking provisions to eat, and Oonugh faded in an out of slumber. He began mumbling in his sleep after a bit, waking Ichigo up.

"Ooh, breakfast!" she squealed. The sound woke Oonugh up in turn and he raised his head, his visible eye wide open once again. Part of Lavinia felt sorry for him, as he was still so unused to being out of the cube, and things kept interrupting the healing sleep he needed. A pang of instinctual worry hit her; was Oonugh ok to be out of that cube like this? Her mind swirled with possibilities that the Giants had placed him on some sort of life support, or the strange skin-armor he wore needed to be recharged with something that only the Giants had to keep Oonugh alive.

"Are you alright?" Oonugh suddenly asked, causing her to blink rapidly.

"I'm fine, why do you ask?" she asked quickly, scooping out some porridge from the iron pot she had brought with her and serving it to Ichigo.

"You were staring at me." He replied. Her face turned red but she didn't look at him. Noticing the sudden color change, Ichigo giggled with her spoon in her mouth. "Your face seemed paler, so I thought you were afflicted with an illness." He continued. Keeping her head down, Lavinia brought a bowl of porridge over to the Orc and set it upon his lap, then quickly retreated back to Ichigo's side.

"Where are the apple and the banana?" Ichigo asked, nibbling on the curve of her spoon.

"What are you talking about?" Lavinia asked, not looking up. She shoveled her porridge into her mouth quickly, willing the embarrassed color to leave her face.

"You know, the apple…" Ichigo stood up and began waving her arms in a similar fashion to Sprissa as she chanted spells. "…And the Banana." This time she began to move as if she were a gorilla, and made similar grunting noises. Lavinia burst out laughing at the Dwarves impersonation of Broud.

"I don't know Ichigo; they've been gone since I woke…." Lavinia's voice trailed off as she glanced behind Ichigo to Oonugh, who was trying unsuccessfully to lift his spoon to his mouth. Most of the porridge, she found, had dribbled back down his chest and was pooling in his lap. A lump of pity rose in her throat and she stood. Without a word she relocated back to Oonugh's side and sat down.

Oonugh dropped his arm, which had been trying to lift a spoonful of food to his lips the instant Lavinia settled and looked at her with balmy eyes. Lavinia gently took his spoon from his hand and dipped it into her own porridge, then lifted it to his mouth. He stared at it speechlessly, but did not open his mouth to eat it.

"I know you want to force your body to work like it used to, but you just can't expect to be able to do everything all at once." Lavinia said softly in a stern tone. Oonugh shut his eyes and chuckled.

"It's not that, I was just remembering something from long ago." He said wistfully. He opened his mouth obediently, and Lavinia spooned the porridge in. Just as she lifted the second spoonful, Ichigo plopped herself on the other side of the Orc and held her own spoonful out.

"It's good! Lavinia is a good cook!" Ichigo proclaimed with a grin. An amused smile touched the Orc's face, and to Lavinia's surprise his ears turned pink. He opened his mouth again for Ichigo, who happily fed him. "See, good!" she grinned. "Lavinia will make a good wife someday, you should marry her!"

"Ichigo!" Lavinia exclaimed, patting Oonugh on the back as he doubled over coughing. Her face turned red again and she ducked down enough for her hair to cover it.

"Orcs born of the rites rarely mate for life." Sprissa's voice came as Oonugh hacked. Lavinia and Ichigo looked up to find Sprissa sitting by the campfire. She looked weary, and had scratches covering her shoulders. Oonugh's coughing spell wore off, and he slowly looked up to stare at his daughter.

"Where's Broud?" Lavinia asked, helping Oonugh lean against the wall again. "And what was the big idea running off and leaving your father to his own devices, anyway? He needs help right now!" she scolded, glaring at Sprissa over her shoulder.

"You're not our mother." Broud stated, walking towards them. He had some sort of animal leg slung over his shoulder, and Lavinia winced at it, trying not to identify it, then frowned at the younger Orc.

"I don't have to be a mother to know when you guys are being irresponsible." Lavinia said angrily, hoping her blush would be mistaken for an angry color. In the back of her mind, the voice inside her head observed that Broud suddenly looked better, and more alert than he had.

"Don't' feed him that." Broud commanded as Lavinia lifted another spoonful of porridge. Her temper flaring, she let the spoon drop back into the bowl, spatters of porridge flying out.

"Food is food." Oonugh spoke up, staring at his son with a blank expression.

"No it's not. You are an Orc, you need meat for strength, not weak Elves gruel." Broud said roughly, spearing a large hunk of meat onto a twig and holding it over the fire. Lavinia's heart leapt into her throat as she heard the distant grunt of one of the Giant's constructed pets.

"Idiot, don't cook meat! You'll attract those beasts!" Lavinia hissed, moving towards the fire. She jerked the speared meat away, tossing it to the grass. "Do you lack common sense?" she spat. Broud stood up with a growl and grabbed her arm roughly.

"Don't tell me what to do." He growled, glaring at her.

"Broud, enough! She's right, we don't need to attract those creatures with Father so weak." Sprissa put in, standing and placing a hand on his arm.

"Bull." Broud sneered. "I can take on any beasts that come our way, you know my strength is great." Lavinia's hand balled into a trembling fist. His pompousness was stretching her nerves to their limit, and she was ready to snap. Without a word, she smoothly lifted her fist and punched the younger Orc across the jaw, causing him to stumble slightly from surprise.

"Broud, don't!" Sprissa cried, trying to pull him away from the smaller Elf as he turned back to face her. He pushed Sprissa away roughly and advanced on Lavinia as she backed away in sudden fright. The look of hateful rage that had placed itself on Broud's face was one Lavinia had never seen on a living creature before. Could Broud really be the complacent Oonugh's son? They were so different. Lavinia winced her eyes shut as Broud lifted an arm to return the favor to her, but opened them quickly again as she felt a whoosh of air go by her face.

"Enough." Oonugh said in a low voice, staying Broud's hand by holding it at the wrist. "There is no honor in beating a woman. Apologize to them both." Lavinia was bombarded by several different emotions at this point. The first was surprise at the fact that Oonugh had somehow managed to push himself to his feet and had enough strength to stop his son. The second was shock that an Orc would be stopping another Orc from bandaging their wounded pride, especially when it was an Elf that did the insulting.

"Washed up old man!" Broud snarled, jerking his hand from Oonugh's grip. "You have forgotten what it's like to be an Orc!" He pulled back and punched Oonugh in the gut, causing the larger Orc to double over. Lavinia gasped and knelt beside Oonugh, supporting him before he fell completely to the ground. She and Oonugh stared at one another for a moment, some silent conversation passing between them. Whatever he had seen in her eyes seemed to strengthen him, and he stood up again and backhanded the younger Orc so hard his head snapped to the side and he stumbled backwards, falling into the ledge they had camped against.

"You talk as if you are a Ketra Orc. Honor and Pride that one demands and not earns is not the ways of those who worship the Great Flame." Oonugh said evenly. Lavinia's eyes widened as she suddenly could see what the Orc had been before the Giants had modified him; a great warrior. One who was both strong and humble. To Lavinia's surprise, Broud began to laugh as he pushed himself to his feet. Without warning his face contorted into that hateful rage again, and he punched outwards, his aim the dead center of Oonugh's chest. There was a flurry of movement, and Lavinia had little time to grasp her own actions. The movement calmed quickly, and Lavinia found herself standing between the two Orcs, her arms stretched out as they had been on the bridge when Broud had insisted on taking Oonugh's life. Sprissa and Ichigo had latched onto Broud's arms, holding him back. (Sprissa seemed to be the only one effectively holding him back, as Ichigo's legs dangled above the ground. She had sunk her teeth into his skin, however, and growled like some sort of feline beast.)

"There is no honor in following the Flame! Only despair! The way of the Ketra has no coming Winter! The leaders do not sit and hide in their stone houses despairing over the end of all there is, instead they fight it! They fight for everything they've built up over the years!" Broud shouted, straining against the two women. Lavinia trembled, the gravity of her actions weighing in on her psyche. Had Sprissa and Ichigo not stopped Broud, she could've been injured very badly, or killed. "Tell me, where is the honor in believing a fate like that? Where is the honor of waiting for some god who hasn't done much of anything for us these past years like a toothless wolf waiting for death?" His voice cracked as he shouted, suddenly giving him the appearance of a frightened little boy. He sunk to the grass after that, and Sprissa desperately clung to his shoulders and face, trying to hide it from view. He began to weep as Sprissa covered him, clinging to her for comfort. Lavinia lowered her arms slowly, and then reached out to hug Ichigo, who had begun to cry in sympathy for whatever it was that was ailing the Orc.

"You… You sound like… my father…" Oonugh stated in wonder, putting a hand on Lavinia's shoulder as if to support himself. "Where were you born? Were you trained under the Ketra as well?" Oonugh asked, his voice suddenly desperate. He knelt beside Broud and stared at his shaking shoulders intently, Sprissa still trying to protect him from the embarrassment of being seen while weeping.

"Broud's mother passed away in Goddard, on the way to the home village." Sprissa explained for him, petting Broud's hair. "He was taken in then by an old Orc who had long ago betrayed the Great Flame. His name was Hrek." She looked back down at Broud and doubled herself over his back, making herself into some sort of blanket over him. "Please father, please do not hate Broud. He really means no harm." Sprissa whispered.

"You like a life of abuse, huh." Lavinia muttered, turning away from them. She herded the sniffling Dwarf back towards the dying campfire and sat her down as she began to clean up. Whatever was happening between the Orcs, Lavinia felt that she had no place for it. She dug a stick of rock candy from her pouch and popped it into Ichigo's mouth, silencing the Dwarf's sobs immediately.

As she cleaned she mulled over what had just transpired. Why did she feel compelled to jump in front of Oonugh like that? It wouldn't be as if he couldn't take whatever blow his son landed on him. They were both Orcs after all. Common sense and logic firmly decided for her that it must've been maternal instinct to protect those weaker. She always did have an acute sense of protecting the ill after she raised her siblings.

Within an hour they were packed up and on their way out of the Forsaken Plains. Sprissa helped her father walk, while Broud went on ahead of them to make sure there were no hostile people or beasts in their way.

"Where are we going?" Lavinia asked, realizing she had been blindly following the Orcs. Ichigo had disappeared into a grove of evergreen trees, and could be heard shouting proclamations of justice while putting some beast out if it's misery.

"Hunter's Village." Sprissa answered, looking over her shoulder at Lavinia. Oonugh stiffened suddenly, but only Lavinia seemed to notice. "They won't ask questions there, so we should be safe until we figure out how to heal Father's wounds." Sprissa searched her father's face for his approval of her decision, but he didn't respond.

"Why that far when he's so ill?" Lavinia asked, still watching Oonugh. "I have enough Gatekeeper scrolls for everyone, let's just return to Aden. We can travel around without being seen, and there are plenty of people who won't ask questions." Sprissa stopped walking to stare at Lavinia with large eyes.

"Are you mad? Too many people would see, and father would become a spectacle!" Sprissa exclaimed. "The better choice is Hunter's Village!" she began walking again, but stopped, as Oonugh did not walk with her. "Father?" She questioned, looking at him.

"I am not so weak and pathetic to where I can not make my own decisions. You talk as if I am elderly and deaf." He said in a stiff voice. He glanced over his shoulder at Lavinia, who stiffened up and looked away quickly. Looking back at Sprissa he said, "I need to rest. If Aden is closer, then we shall risk Aden." He limped towards Lavinia and held out his hand, giving her a kind smile. Blushing furiously, Lavinia swung her pack over her shoulder and dug a scroll out of it, and handed it to him.

"We should go in at night. Not so many people." Ichigo piped up, playing with a bundle of spider's silk she had taken from whatever she killed.

"Good idea, we'll wait here then." Broud agreed, returning to them. Lavinia's eyebrows rose in surprise at the sudden agreeable nature Broud had.

They set up a temporary camp in a small field surrounded by fir trees. In the distance, Lavinia could see the tops of the great trees that made up the Forest of Mirrors. She smiled to herself as she imagined Cesa's reaction to the gigantic plants.

"For the sake of conversation, may I inquire your thoughts?" Oonugh asked, limping over to a rock and sitting down upon it heavily. Lavinia sighed and sat herself, picking at a blade of grass and holding it between her fingers.

"Just wondering how my family is doing. I haven't heard from them in awhile." She said, stretching the grass blade and blowing on it to produce noise. Not far from where they sat, an Elpy raised its head curiously, its ears twitching as it tried to discern what the noise was. "I have a brother and two sisters." She continued without prompt, "My youngest sister is somewhere between Goddard and Rune by now, and I'm not sure what my other sister and brother are doing. I'm a little worried." She ripped the grass into pieces, feeling agitated.

"I'm sorry." Oonugh apologized sincerely. Lavinia looked at him in mild surprise. "You would be home now if you had not gotten caught up in the affairs of my children. For that, I am sorry." He stared at his hands, which he had folded between his legs. Lavinia found herself intrigued by this Orc once again. He was strange, yet straightforward and blunt. He did not bother to guard his honest feelings, yet he gave nothing of himself away. He looked up at her seriously, his eyes dark. "Thank you… for convincing them to go to Aden. Hunter's Village may be safe, but I cannot go there after…" his voice trailed off in a whisper, and he began to shake again. He once again looked as if reality had hit him fully, and he clutched his head. Mournful noises began to emanate from his throat, and he doubled over. Fearing another episode of attempted suicide, Lavinia quickly rushed to his side and began stroking his hair as if he were a child.

"It's ok, you're fine now." She crooned, trying to comfort even though she did not know the cause for his distress.

"Synshlee…" he said, his voice choked. Lavinia felt as if she would cry, it was plain to see now that this man deeply cared for Sprissa's mother. Hesitantly, she slid her arms around his shoulders from the side, trying to hug him. Slowly, he raised his large hand and placed it over her arm, acknowledging her comfort. He looked up quickly, his visible eye suddenly alert and full of life. "Where is Synshlee? Why isn't she here with Sprissa?" he asked, his voice clear and without the exhaustion that had been present before.

"I… I don't know, there were just Broud and Sprissa when we met them…" Lavinia answered as he stared at her intensely. Supporting his weight on her, Oonugh stood, staring out into the distance.

"I must find her." Oonugh said in a dream-like voice.

"Do you even know where to start looking?" Lavinia asked logically, holding him back. "Besides you said yourself earlier that you don't have the strength to travel far. I'm sure she's all right, wherever she is. Let's just return to Aden for now." Oonugh's eyelid flickered, her words coming through to him. He looked down at her without expression, his eye meeting hers. She released him and turned away, hugging her arm. "Stop doing that." She mumbled, looking to the ground.

"Doing what?" he asked. Lavinia shrugged slightly and glanced at him over her shoulder.

"Staring at me like that. Your gaze is too intense." She shifted slightly, trying to regain the comfort level that fled when Oonugh looked at her. "You make my heart confused when you look at me." She mumbled. Oonugh drew in a sharp breath and limped away from her, towards his children and Ichigo.

"I could say the same to you." He said softly as he retreated. "You've been sounding more and more like her. It makes my heart confused as well." Lavinia's heart froze in her chest at this, instinctively knowing that he meant Sprissa's mother. She took a calming breath as he left her, and smacked her cheeks lightly. Things were getting too weird, she needed to get back to town and treat herself to a day at the Hot Springs up in Elmore. It must've been stress, she decided, that was making her feel the strange emotions she was experiencing. First working a job she hated and dealing with Radyss, then almost having an unromantic encounter with an Orc in heat and tromping through the Giant's Cave immediately after. Yes, it had to be stress. Once she returned to Aden she would locate Cesa and the two of them would go pamper themselves for a while. Cesa was always good company for outings like that.

"Well, night will be falling soon!" Lavinia said brightly as she returned to the others a few minutes later. "Are we ready to return to Aden?" Oonugh had seated himself on a rock once again, and was being tended to by Sprissa. Lavinia glanced at him, but looked away quickly as he glanced back.

"I suppose…even though I still believe it's a bad idea…" Sprissa said, applying a poultice to a raw spot on her father's bugbear leg.

"There will be better medicine there, Sprissa. Just leave it be for now. We can travel to Hunter's Village later." Broud said humbly, not looking at them. Again, Lavinia was surprised by his sudden change in personality. He kept his distance from Oonugh, but his temper seemed to have calmed down.

"Who's that?" Ichigo asked, latching onto Lavinia's waist and pointing behind her. All four looked in the direction the Dwarf had pointed. They only had a moment to see a Dark Elf in tattered robes standing several feet behind them before a flock of the constructed eyeball demons that the Giants had created swooped down on them.

"What is this?" Lavinia cried, ducking down and covering Ichigo protectively. Broud snarled and began beating the eyeballs off.

"Get out of range and use the scrolls, now!" Broud shouted as one of the eyeball demons grabbed the handle of his poleaxe with its claw-mouths. Lavinia pushed herself to her feet and began pulling the Dwarf along. Sprissa was ahead of them, trying to urge her father to run. He limped as fast as he could, the bugbear leg hindering his speed.

"No escape." The Dark Elf whispered. She extended her arm and pointed elegantly at their retreating figures. More demon eyeballs flew from behind her, in fast pursuit. Broud roared in frustration as they zoomed by him, too pinned down with the first wave to stop the second.

Ichigo, lagging behind Lavinia even though the Elf pulled her along as fast as she could, cried out as the demon eyes grabbed one of her arms and legs. Lavinia whipped around with a gasp, the demon eyes trying to pull her from Lavinia's grasp. Behind them, a large demon eye, one larger than any Lavinia had ever seen before, hovered peacefully by the Dark Elf, watching it's minions attack with a pleased expression, it's eyelid half closed. It let out a purring noise, satisfied.

"NO!" Lavinia shouted, pulling on the dwarf with all of her might. Ichigo screamed and cried, trying to kick her legs enough to pull the monsters off. Lavinia felt helpless, knowing she couldn't cast a spell while holding onto one of Ichigo's arms. Behind her, Oonugh turned back around, his eye large. He pulled away from Sprissa and began running back towards them.

"Father!" Sprissa shouted. She shut her eyes in concentration and began chanting spells to strengthen herself before rushing back as well, knowing that running had not been the right choice.

Pulling Ichigo up high enough to clamp down on her tunic sleeve with her teeth, Lavinia then used her free hands to cast her aura spell, blinding one of the monster eyes enough for it to release Ichigo's arm. The Dwarf wrapped both arms around Lavinia's neck as Lavinia then pulled her sword from it's sheath and stabbed the other eye right in the center of it's slitted pupil. They both dropped to the grass as the eye released Ichigo's leg, and Lavinia covered Ichigo with her body. The Dwarf fell unconscious as she hit the ground, her temple smacking against a stone. Lavinia cried out as the first demon eye returned and it's claw-mouths bit down into her shoulders, trying to pull her up.

There was a snarl, and Lavinia raised her head as the demon eye was ripped away from her. Eyes wide with shock, she watched as Oonugh roared and strained, tearing the eye in half as if it were no more than heavy rope. Oily blood showered the grass and splattered Oonugh and Lavinia's face. He drew a fist back and punched through the wound she'd made in the second, his hand exploding out of the back. It screeched as it fell, claw mouths opening and closing uselessly.

"Him." The Dark Elf said. The larger eye suddenly opened wide, as if in shock, it's pupil dilating. Oonugh had just grabbed an eye from the pile that had latched onto Broud and Sprissa when green electricity began coursing over his body, it's source the crystal in the center of the claw-like appendage in his neck. He roared in pain, crushing the monster reflexively. It's eyeball popped from the hard armor that made up its body, and dangled uselessly on the string of muscle that had originally held it in. Oonugh fell to his knees and panted a few times before electricity coursed over him again, another cry of pain coming from his throat.

"FATHER!" Sprissa cried, trying to beat off the eyes with her mace. She was covered in bite wounds, and her veil had been lost in the fight. Lavinia pulled herself over to him weakly, trying to cradle the unconscious Ichigo as she went.

"I will not return with you, Zraa." Oonugh said in a weak voice, glaring defiantly at the Dark Elf. Her face was expressionless save for a slight eye twitch. Zraa nodded, and the giant eye opened wide again, the electricity returning to torture Oonugh. Lavinia stood shakily and focused on the Dark Elf. She lifted her arms and silently chanted a spell, a ring of light forming around her. A bolt of electricity shot down from the sky, hitting Zraa right in her chest. The skin on her chest exploded, revealing a crystal embedded there, similar to the one on Oonugh. She arched her back, her blank eyes large as Lavinia's spell malfunctioned the crystal's use and green electricity coursed over her own body. The large demon eye reached a claw appendage out to catch her before she fell. It's eye opened wide again, and several of the eyes attacking Broud and Sprissa turned and darted towards Lavinia.

"Take them and get out of here, we'll hold them off!" Broud shouted, swinging his poleaxe and knocking the eyes away before they could reach her. "Go!" he snarled, as she hesitated. He gave her a cocky smile after that, taking on a defiant air. "We're not going to let some stupid eyeballs keep us down. We're Orcs after all." He said. Reassured by his words, Lavinia knelt and drew Ichigo and Oonugh close to her, wrapping her arms protectively across their shoulders. She opened the scroll and glared angrily at the Dark Elf, who had wearily lifted her head as the spell transported them.


	5. Chapter 5

Several days later, Lavinia sat next to her bed, reading a book. Oonugh had been set up in the bedroom of the house the Magic Guild provided for her, unconscious since the battle. Ichigo returned to Elmore after arriving in Aden, crying that she wanted to go home to her mother while she recovered. She sent a letter with her traveling merchant sister Spicy Pixie the day prior, telling Lavinia that she was recovering fine and would be ready to return to the battle for Justice in a few more days. Sprissa and Broud still had not returned, and Lavinia began to worry. She hoped that they simply did not have Gatekeeper scrolls and were returning on foot to Aden.

Oonugh began to groan in his sleep, drawing Lavinia's attention away from the book. She set it down on the nightstand next to the bed and sat on the edge of the mattress as Oonugh shifted beneath the sheet.

"Shh… it's ok." She whispered, putting a hand on his cheek. He had a fever, and Lavinia began to worry that her earlier wild thought of him having to live on some Giant life-support was true. His eyes flew open and he gripped her bicep, staring into her face, his eyes glazed over with fever.

"Synshlee…I'm glad you made it." He said in a slurred voice.

"But I'm not…" she began. The happy tears welling in the man's eyes touched a soft spot in her heart, and she didn't have the will to continue.

"I'm sorry I couldn't follow you… I knew the scroll would only take you… But you and our child's life were more important than my own." He whispered. His head fell back against the pillow, his eyes shutting heavily. "Thank Paagrio you survived…" The breath left his lungs in a great whoosh, calming to the even breathing of slumber.

Lavinia brushed strands of hair that stuck to his sweat-moistened face away gently for a moment before standing and returning to her chair. She watched him for a bit before picking up her book and returning to the chapter she had left off on.

Broud and Sprissa entered Aden that night, much to Lavinia's relief. Oonugh had only woken once since earlier that day, long enough to take a drink of water before falling asleep once more. The pair of Orcs were weary looking and covered in healing scratches, but otherwise unscathed.

"How is he?" Sprissa asked in a hushed voice. She and Broud sat in Lavinia's receiving room, Broud sound asleep in a chair, his head tilted precariously to the side.

"He keeps asking for your mother." Lavinia said, her mouth a thin line. "He seems pretty set on seeing her again."

"Oh dear." Sprissa worried, clenching her fists in her lap. She looked as if she would cry.

"What's the problem?" Lavinia asked, pouring her a cup of tea. Sprissa took it gratefully and drank deeply.

"Mother has been dead since I was but an infant, I think." Sprissa said grimly. "All I've learned about my father is from here…" she pulled her pack from where she had deposited it on the floor and pulled out a dog-eared, leather bound journal. She handed it to Lavinia without hesitation. "I don't know when or how she passed, all I know is my great-grandmother woke one morning and she had left without even a note."

"She abandoned you?" Lavinia asked, incredulous. Sprissa looked away from her and ducked her head down slightly in a meek fashion.

"I don't consider it abandonment, not like my older sister. She had something she was looking for, something that would put her soul at rest when she uncovered it. I think she left because she discovered it's location, but something happened along the way." Sprissa explained.

"You really do stick up for people who hurt you, don't you." Lavinia stated bitterly, flipping through a few pages in the journal.

"No, I stick up for people when I know they're misunderstood." Sprissa said seriously, staring Lavinia in the eye. "There are inherently evil people in this world, but there are also good people, who have just had life a bit harder than others. It's not our place to judge them based on their actions when really they could be hurting inside." She looked over at her slumbering brother. "Like Broud for instance. He only acts the way he does because that is how he was raised to act. There is a good person underneath it all who despises the life he's lived, and yearns desperately to be accepted by a caring father. The man who raised him, whom father said was our grandfather, ironically, was cruel to him." She put a hand over his and smiled at him softly.

"But you're Orcs, isn't that normal?" Lavinia asked, raising an eyebrow. Sprissa shut her eyes, her smile growing a bit.

"Yes, to a point. Orcs are not beyond having a gentle side or showing love to others. The fire can destroy and hurt, but it can also warm and comfort as well." She smiled at Lavinia then, leaving the Elf awed at the sheer strength of heart she had.

She sat next to Oonugh again a bit later, leaving Sprissa and Broud to rest on makeshift beds in the receiving room. He was still asleep, his steady intake and exhale of breath the only noise in her room. Curiously, she examined the outside of the journal before opening it up carefully; it's pages yellowing with age. She wondered how old Sprissa really was for the journal to have gained such an aged appearance.

_Darksday, 18xx_ the first page read,

I probably shouldn't be writing this, as it could fall into hands of those I don't want reading it. But I feel like it must be done for some reason, maybe as a record to my daughters.

_I'm currently in Elmore, living in the Orc Village, waiting for the birth of my second daughter. Yeah, I know it'll be a girl, call it a sixth sense. Anyway, here I am living with the grandmother of the only man I will ever love. _

_So I suppose I'll start things off with a confession. I'm not worthy to be called a mother. I left my daughter Vuylay in the Dark Elf Village a little over a year ago now in pursuit of something. I won't say what, but it's very important to me. I would be searching for it still, had I not met him and become pregnant. _

_Him… His name is…was Oonugh. He was an Orc, and I let him die. Selflessly he accompanied me in pursuit of this thing that I'm looking for, right into the heart of the Giant's Cave. I miss him so much, his strength, his warmth, and his body next to mine as I sleep. I will show this child of ours the love I feel for him, I promise._

Lavinia paused in reading and glanced at Oonugh, who sighed in his sleep and shifted. She felt guilty for reading this woman's personal feelings for him, but yet felt compelled to continue. Licking her finger she turned the page and settled to read more.

"So Vuylay, you have a little sister." Lavinia murmured to herself. She wondered if the Shilen Elder knew about it yet. It was strange how small the world really was.

_Sunsday, 18xx_

_I felt the baby kick today. My stomach has grown big and I can hardly walk! Amaia tells me I am healthy, and the baby is destined to be a leader. Imagine, a leader coming from an Orc and a Dark Elf! I wonder how that will affect the Orc's lives? _

_Amaia is very kind, and she acts like a mother to me. Oonugh's family is as kind as him. I feel warm and alive here. This pregnancy is much different than before, I feel so happy to be giving birth to this child. __It's so much different than my time with Vuylay. The only thing I could think about then was how to get her out of my body. Now I cherish every day I have with this child, and love the feel of her growing inside of me. Perhaps this is the difference of a child conceived in love than a child conceived in lust?_

_Clearsday, 18xx_

_Hello journal. I'm beginning to feel like you are a friend, how odd. You listen to me when I talk, and don't judge me. I am feeling rather sad today. Amaia says it's because my baby shall be born in a few days, and it is my body reacting to the eminent loss of her warmth. I feel as if I will pop if she isn't born soon. _

_It's snowing outside right now, but it's not very cold in the village. Warmth is everywhere; I can't tell if it's from the many fire wells they have erected everywhere or if it's from their souls. They are truly children of fire, the Orcs. They are strong as a roaring forest fire, but I've seen them be gentle to one another as well. _

_An Orc approached me today. His name is Severin. His hairstyle reminds me of Oonugh's, but his color is a bright red. I think he's related to the Gatekeeper or something. He's been very nice to me, and brought me plenty of recovery herbs for when my baby will be born. He makes me nervous though, I don't know why._

_Darksday, 18xx_

_It's been a full month now since I last wrote. Giving birth to Sprissa was harder than when I gave birth to Vuylay. I was ill for several weeks. I began feeling labor pains while out on the Immortal Plateau, collecting herbs for Amaia. There was a young Orc there at the time, named Damascus, who helped me get back to town. He held my hand through the birth, but I think it made him ill to see it happen. He checks up on me every now and again, and seems to enjoy playing with Sprissa. I hope he'll stay friends with her, as she grows older. _

_Another Dark Elf passed through town, but I didn't speak with her much. Her name was Anasala. Something about her reminded me of that idiot Amari, and it irked me so I ignored her. _

Severin has tried to court me now, in his Orcish fashion. He told me that Sprissa needs a proper father, and he's willing to be that to her. I'm flattered, but I can't find it in my heart to care about him as anything more than a friend.

_Oh Oonugh…I miss you so… I still remember that first time in Hunter's Village. You kissed me so possessively, and then ran your hands over my…_

Lavinia's eyes widened as far as they could go as she continued reading. Synshlee was extremely descriptive in her recollection. She glanced up despite herself at the sleeping Orc, and found her eyes wandering down from his face to his chest, and then to his stomach. She blushed furiously and shook her head before she let the thought she was having fully surface, and turned the page. Finding it to be another all-to-descriptive explanation of the night Synshlee felt was when Sprissa was conceived, she flipped ahead a few pages, squinting her eyes shut.

"Must be post-natal hormones." Lavinia mumbled, finding that Synshlee's dirty thoughts spanned over more than ten entries. After the last dirty entry, there were a few blank pages, and the next entry was dated two years later.

_Skyday, 18xx_

_I am more tired than usual. I feel so old, but I'm not even into my prime. I wonder what this means?_

_I attempted to start a relationship with Severin. We laid together several times, but I felt ill afterwards and threw up. I feel dirty when I think about being with him, and not in the good way either. He makes me hate myself. I feel like I'm betraying Oonugh. _

_Sunsday, 18xx_

_I HATE YOU JOURNAL! WHY DO YOU MAKE ME REMEMBER HIM?_

Several pages had been ripped out after that, but then the entries began normally once again.

_Clearsday, 18xx_

_I am still tired. Could my life be nearing its end? Shilen has abandoned me, even after promising me release from my misery. I wonder if I'll even go to the Abyss when I die, I might not be welcome there after all that I've done. _

_Sprissa is growing well. She is healthy, and extremely bright for a baby of her age. She'll be having her 2__nd__ birthday soon. Amaia said that she would be getting her ears pierced the eve of her birthday. It's some ancient tradition that marks a baby's emergence into childhood. When she comes of age into adulthood, there is another ritual where they will take her maidenhead with some sort of sacred staff._

_It makes me wince to think about it, but apparently they believe all virgins belong to Paagrio. If a girl is not a virgin when it's time for the ritual, she will be deemed a traitor and cast out. Rape is considered extremely dishonorable, so unless Sprissa willingly gives herself to someone, she should be fine. _

_I've been feeling compelled to write about Oonugh these past few weeks. I'm not sure why. So I will start from the beginning. _

_I met Oonugh in the Neutral Zone only a few months after leaving the Dark Forest in search of that relic. Gludio Castle was under siege as I passed by it, the smell of battle was invigorating my senses. Three humans approached me, their trade most likely murder and theft. I foolishly assumed I could take them on, but got proven wrong rather quickly. Oonugh, who abandoned the siege when he discovered it was not what he expected, came to my rescue. I was intrigued by him then, but fell unconscious before I had a chance to really see him or speak to him. _

_Sprissa needs to be fed, I shall write more tomorrow. _

_Darksday, 18xx_

_Here I am again. I'm a little more alert today than I was a few days ago. I suppose I shall return to my story of Oonugh._

_I met him again after I had been mortally wounded on the way to Giran from the harbor. He was traveling with this idiotic Spellhowler named Amari by then. I never did find out why they had teamed up together. I suppose I should thank him though, because it was his magic scroll that pulled me from death. _

_I woke up in Oonugh's arms; I remember my heart pounding at the feel of his hand at the back of my neck. He took me to Giran despite Amari's protesting and bought me my first set of dual swords. We separated temporarily by afternoon of the second day, Oonugh and Amari heading towards the Ivory Tower while I was to join a group setting out for Cruma Tower. _

_Through several… circumstances… I ended up catching up with Oonugh and Amari, and began traveling with them. I was not much of a Bladedancer when it came to assisting them in battle; I have horrible balance and stumbled through half of my enchanting dances. _

He left us after we'd set up camp in Death Pass to go do this Rites of Completion thing that the Orcs do every seven years. I can only assume he met up with this woman Shaman he'd been eyeballing in Giran that night. It still makes me angry to think about it. To think, he had me, but yet he chose some stranger!

_Oh well, I suppose I can't blame Orcish instinct._

"Orcish instinct my ass." Lavinia grumbled, rolling her eyes and turning the page.

_Mistday, 18xx_

_Oonugh stopped me from throwing myself uselessly into a petty battle as we neared Oren. I got a broken jaw for it, but I do appreciate what he did now. I was acting selfishly out of spite and jealousy from his actions with the Shaman. I think I might've fallen for him then, funnily enough. Ha, love at first smack. _

_He was so angry with me then, but controlled his temper. I've never seen an angry Orc calm themselves down just by will alone. _

_We entered Oren a few days later to wait out the siege. I attempted to seduce him that night. Still a little sore about how that turned out. I still think it's all Amari's doing, Oonugh's rejection of me that is. _

_After talking with a Dark Elf boy, who said something about his mother and her sister leaving him in Oren to travel to the Giants Cave, I decided to hire Oonugh as my bodyguard to escort me there. The thing I was searching for might've been there and I wanted to find out for sure. _

_That…. Was my mistake. _

_The journey took several months; as we remained in Hunter's Village for a long time, doing… you know… before spending another month trying to trek through the Forest of Mirrors. Never go in there without one of those compass things the Dwarves have. It likes to shift on you, and make your path a lot longer than necessary. _

_I was pregnant while we traveled through the forest, although I didn't realize it yet. My body did, however, and kept slowing me down with fatigue. Oonugh was so caring to me then, he really babied me. I felt special. _

_We finally made it to the Cave after those months were up. We met the boy's mother and her sister, Zraa and Hydrosfear. They had been brainwashed or something, and now served the remaining Titans. They took us to speak to one, but it had gone mad with degeneration. It thought Oonugh and I were there __on behalf of Einhasad to slay it, and drove us away. Oonugh carried me through the Caves, as the beasts chased him. _

_He made me take a Gatekeeper scroll from his pack and use it, but I thought it was one that would take us both. It… only took me._

_And so here I am, two years later, still mourning him. Perhaps, once Sprissa is older, I will venture back into the Caves myself, to at least find his remains, if there is any left, and bring them back here for his people to honor. _

_I will kill Zraa and Hydrosfear when I see them again as well, for taking my love away from me. _

_Darksday, 18xx_

_I had a dream last night. I think I know where my fate is leading me now. Damascus is coming with me, I hope he can help. _

The journal ended there, the rest of the pages blank and devoid of anything except a few doodles that Synshlee obviously scribbled in boredom. The binding cracked as Lavinia carelessly flipped through it, and a sealed envelope fell from between the oiled leather cover and the board that supported it. She picked it up gingerly from the floor and flipped it over. Handwritten on the cover neatly was "Vuylay."

Her lips parted in surprise and she eagerly flipped the envelope back over and stuck her finger under the flap. She paused and chewed the bottom of her lip, guilt suddenly flooding her senses. Sighing, she slid her finger out, and carried it over to her dresser, where she put the envelope in a drawer. No doubt she would see Vuylay again soon, she would just deliver the letter then.


	6. Chapter 6

Finding it late at night according to her wall clock, Lavinia set the journal on her nightstand and climbed into the sleeping bag she had set up on the floor. The day would dawn bright and early, and she felt as if it would be a busy one.

Loud pounding interrupted Lavinia's sleep the next morning, and she sat up groggily. "Shut up!" Broud shouted from the receiving room. The pounding halted for a moment, then began anew, quicker and more urgent.

"Shall I answer it?" Oonugh's voice came. Lavinia was fully awake in a second, surprised to find the Orc sitting up in bed and watching her calmly.

"No, I'll get it." She said, darting up and out the door. Her heart quivered in joy that he seemed recovered, but she didn't want him to see her smiling like a fool. She opened the door quickly, squinting as bright sunlight poured through the entryway.

"So you are back." Radyss stated. Lavinia rubbed her eyes and frowned, her budding good mood going sour at the sight of him. "What's this I hear about Giants being in your house?" he asked sternly, trying to look around her. Lavinia moved to block his view, glaring.

"I have a few friends over." She said stubbornly. "If you don't mind, we're all still sleeping, so I'd like you to leave…"

"ORCS!" Radyss exclaimed breathlessly, one hand to his chest as he saw Broud and Sprissa sleeping on the floor. "Lavinia, you have ORCS in your house?" he pulled her outside as if freeing her from prison. "Are they blackmailing you? Have they touched you inappropriately?" he asked in a low voice, his expression serious. Lavinia couldn't help herself and burst out laughing. Radyss stood up straight, offended.

"They're friends, Radyss. It's not uncommon for Elves to have an Orcish friend or two nowadays." Lavinia stated, folding her arms across her chest. Radyss' expression turned to one of disbelief. "And no, there are no Giants in my house. Do I look like I've gone that mad since you last saw me?" she asked, the mirth leaving her face and her eyelids lowering in annoyance.

"No, no, it's just…" Radyss began, raising a fist to his mouth as he cleared his throat. "Some people, including Magister Winonin, saw you enter Aden a few days ago toting around what looked like a Giant, and I was concerned as you haven't been out of your home since." He raised a hand and cupped her cheek. "If something is going on, you will tell me, won't you?" he asked softly, stroking her skin with his thumb. Lavinia jerked her head away from him quickly, the action causing another look of disbelief to cross his face.

"Stop pawing me like I belong to you." She said icily. He backed away from her a step, his eyes large.

"What's wrong with you?" he asked her breathlessly. "First you give up your job at the Guild, then you keep company with Dwarves, now with Orcs… Are you ill?" Lavinia rolled her eyes, feeling strangely liberated to openly show Radyss her dislike of him.

"Goodbye, Radyss. I'm going back to sleep for a few more hours now." She said dismissively, turning away from him. "Some of us don't like being awake at the crack of dawn." She re-entered her home and shut the door in his face, locking it securely.

Feeling as if a great weight had been lifted she sighed and stretched before wandering back into her bedroom. She froze as she entered, finding Oonugh reading Synshlee's journal with an expressionless face. She darted forward to grab it without thinking, only to have him catch her hand in his without so much as looking at her.

"You weren't supposed to read that…" she protested weakly as he gently placed her hand on the bed. She sat down weakly on the edge, her expression worried. He finished the page he had been reading before shutting his eye and placing the journal on his lap with a heavy sigh.

"I am saddened, yet oddly comforted that she sought to forget me." Oonugh said quietly. "However…" he opened his eye again and looked at Lavinia, "Where is Sprissa? I want to find this Damascus that Synshlee wrote about."

A heavy weight placed itself in Lavinia's heart as she roused Sprissa from slumber. She leaned against the doorframe as Sprissa conversed in a quiet voice with her father, trying to figure out the reason why. Catching bits of conversation, Lavinia discovered that Damascus had looked after Sprissa like a brother for as long as she could remember, but had told her that he and Synshlee had separated after not finding what she sought in Cruma Tower. Sprissa went on to explain that Damascus was very active in a powerful, yet not so highly thought of clan now, and she hadn't seen him for nearly four years.

What are you doing?" Lavinia asked, alarmed, as Oonugh struggled to push himself from bed.

"I want to find this Damascus." Oonugh said seriously, wincing.

"That's impossible, he could be anywhere by now." Sprissa exclaimed, trying to push her father back down. "You need your rest, father, you're not well." Oonugh gave her a stern look, causing her to back away from him. Lavinia, however, was not so easily intimidated, and planted herself in front of him stubbornly as he stood.

"Get back in bed." She commanded, glaring at him.

"I must find Synshlee." Oonugh said, trying to move past her. She slid over, blocking his path. He took a deep breath, calming his temper. "I appreciate your hospitality, but I must find her now." Oonugh said evenly, shutting his eye.

"Like hell you do. Now get back in bed." Lavinia said stubbornly, putting her hands on her hips. Oonugh's eye snapped open and he glared down at her, Orcish temper flaring despite his best efforts at keeping it leashed. His hand balled into a trembling fist, and Lavinia glanced down at it, unimpressed. "Are you going to break my jaw too?" she asked skeptically, lifting an eyebrow. "I'll have you know, unlike Synshlee, I hit back." His hand relaxed then, and his expression softened. His lips parted slightly as he stared down at her, and Lavinia finally broke eye contact with him, her heart suddenly fluttering. Sprissa watched the two with a shocked expression, and then slowly raised a hand to her still unveiled mouth, hiding it from view.

"You won't have to look far for Damascus. I know where he is." Broud's voice suddenly came from the doorway. He leaned casually against it, completely naked. Lavinia's hands flew to her eyes and she turned away quickly.

"Broud!" Sprissa hissed, walking towards him.

"You have a lot to learn about behavior in front of a lady." Oonugh sighed, shaking his head.

"What?" Broud asked innocently, honestly confused. Sprissa whipped him around and ushered him back into the receiving room to help him dress.

Evening fell, and Lavinia found herself in the grand garden outside Aden Castle, ducked behind a finely sculpted bush with Oonugh. Broud and Sprissa stood near the center path leading to the castle, waiting for Damascus. Broud had gotten in contact with him somehow, and had chosen the meeting spot. Nighttime was better for them to move, so Oonugh could not be seen. Sprissa wanted to speak with Damascus before introducing him to her father, to ease the shock at seeing such a horribly disfigured Orc. Lavinia picked at the fine grass at her feet, a lead weight feeling in the pit of her stomach. What would happen once he found Synshlee? Would they reunite as lovers do, and find a place to spend the rest of their days together? _Why do I care, anyway?_ She thought to herself, frowning into the bush.

She glanced over at the Orc, who watched his children with an intense gaze. The floating stones near his covered right eye wobbled back and forth, giving away his anxiety. She didn't understand why Sprissa had to ease her friend into seeing Oonugh. Sure he was a bit surprising to look at the first time, but he really wasn't scary or disgusting, not like most of the other things in the Giant's Cave. He wasn't even as scary looking as the Giants themselves, even with the grafted Bugbear leg. She squinted as the crystal on the back of his neck suddenly sparked with a bit of static electricity. Shrugging, she figured it was like the floating stones, and caused by his agitation.

Damascus arrived just as the moon rose, casting a white-blue light over the garden. He, also, was a tall Orc, taller than Broud but not quite as tall as Oonugh. Sprissa greeted him with a happy hug, and after introducing him to Broud, they chatted happily of events up until then.

"Come on…" Lavinia urged quietly, her legs aching from being in the cramped position for so long. Oonugh snapped the bush branch he gripped in two, the snap causing the trio to jump. Lavinia cast him a silencing glare and he looked sheepishly at the twig in his hand.

"Damascus, you know how I was searching for my father, right?" Sprissa began after clearing her throat. Damascus rubbed the back of his neck and gazed thoughtfully into the sky, trying to recall.

"I think so, how'd that go?" he responded, scratching the inside of his nose.

"It went well, thank you." She smiled. "I actually had a question for you about my mother though. What happened after you guys left the Village?" she asked, clasping her hands behind her back casually.

"We've already been through this before, Sprissa." Damascus said, sighing heavily. "I got as far as Dion with her and then we were separated, simple as that." He shook his head and patted her head as if she were a child. "I can't believe you called me all the way out here just to ask that…"

"You're lying." Oonugh suddenly said, standing.

"Idiot!" Lavinia hissed, covering her face. Damascus took a step back, his eyes large, and put a hand on the sword sheathed at his side. Sprissa quickly put a hand on top of his, preventing him from drawing.

"Damascus, I'd like you to meet my father… Oonugh." She introduced, holding a hand out to him. Oonugh approached them, his aura exuding anger. The crystal on the back of his neck sparked again, and Lavinia began to worry it would catch his hair on fire. Damascus backed up as he approached, drawing his sword and holding it ready.

"Sprissa, you've gone mad, that's not an Orc!" Damascus exclaimed, reaching out to grab her and pull her behind him. "That's a Giant! You let a Giant into Aden!"

Oonugh's fists balled at his sides and quicker than Damascus could react, he grabbed the sword by the blade and flung it from his hands, then grabbed the younger Orc by his neck armor and raised him close to his face.

"You're LYING." Oonugh snarled into Damascus' face. "What really happened between you and Synshlee? Where is she?" Damascus pushed himself away from Oonugh roughly and punched the older Orc in his stomach. Lavinia rushed forward to stop it, but was held back by Broud.

"What does it matter to you, anyway?" Damascus spat as Oonugh struggled to remain on his feet. "I'm surprised you even find it fit to be alive, you look more Giant than Orc. Sprissa, how could you not put him out of his misery?" He turned away from them, not looking at the tearful expression Sprissa wore.

"Damascus, please… If there's anything more I need to know about my mother… please tell me." Sprissa pleaded, taking a step towards him. "I promise…. I promise I will never bother you again." She added quietly.

"You don't have to promise him that, he's already more human than Orc if he couldn't tell the entire truth from the beginning!" Broud shouted, puffing out his chest. "He's no better than the traitorous Orcs wandering aimlessly without a home!" Damascus looked over his shoulder at them, his lip curling with the soft growl he emanated.

"You'd best watch what you say, whelp, lest you want to meet me in battle." Damascus growled.

"I'd rather be more Giant than human; at least they stuck with what they believed in." Broud said in a low voice, meeting Damascus' growl with a dark smirk.

"Stop it, all of you!" Lavinia shouted, pushing past Broud and helping Oonugh to his feet. "All of this testosterone is going to make me grow facial hair, so knock it off!" Damascus and Broud dropped their silent challenge and looked at her in surprise. Sprissa had raised a hand to her mouth, although veiled now, and pressed her palm against it. Lavinia didn't have to look up to know that Oonugh's expression matched Broud's.

"All right, all right, I give!" Damascus suddenly said, laughing loudly. He raised a hand to his face as he laughed, tilting his head back slightly. "Yes, I was with your mother until the very end. She went to Cruma Tower with this sword she'd found in the Cave of Trials. She met a god on the top floor, can you believe it? Sliced a neat cut in his throat before he speared her too. I think it was Sayha, I'm not sure. Big white wings on his back. " Damascus said thoughtfully, scratching his nose again. Everyone stared at him in shock as he shrugged. "Nearly scared the piss out of me, lemme tell ya. Anyway, I was going to bring her back to the Orc Village, but she insisted on going back to the Dark Elf Village to see your sister. Neither of us had much money so we traveled on foot most of the way. Her wound became infected halfway to Gludio despite the potions I kept feeding her. She died before reaching the Village. " He turned away as Sprissa gasped loudly, and Lavinia felt Oonugh begin to tremble.

"All of this time… I thought she might still be alive…" Sprissa whispered, tears wetting her veil. "Why didn't you tell me before? Where is her body?" she pleaded, a hand at her chest. Damascus shrugged.

"I dunno, wanted to keep the sword for myself I guess. I mean come on, a blade that can wound the gods? How powerful can you get! Don't know what happened to it though, someone stole it out of my warehouse when I discovered it was too heavy to hold. Guess only 'chosen' ones can wield it or something. Anyway, Synshlee's somewhere off the coast of the Garden of Shilen. I'm sure you could find her bones if you dredged it."

Oonugh snarled and dashed at the younger Orc, his fist meeting the side of Damascus' ear with a loud smack. Damascus stumbled in surprise before growling and drawing his mace. "NO!" Sprissa shouted, dashing between them. She latched onto Damascus' arm and held on with all of her might.

"You little idiot, let go!" Damascus snarled. She growled and bit down into his wrist, the crunch of wounded tendons reaching even Lavinia's ears. Damascus raised his other hand to hit her, when Broud caught it and wrenched it backwards.

"You've done enough here." Broud said in a low voice. Oonugh had his eye shut, trying to control his temper. "You're lucky my old man isn't as bloodthirsty as us. I think the combination of the three of us would've left you smeared all over this garden." Damascus looked between him and Sprissa with a lip-curling snarl, then wrenched his hands free. He adjusted his armor in a defiant manner, then turned away from them. Sprissa collapsed onto Broud's chest, sobbing quietly over the fate of her mother.

Without warning Damascus whipped back around with his mace, and smacked Oonugh across the armored side of his head. Broud released Sprissa with a snarl as Oonugh fell, and slammed Damascus into the city wall behind them. Lavinia knelt beside Oonugh as Broud lifted a fist and began to punch Damascus repeatedly in the face. Oonugh looked at her wearily as bits of the armor crumbled away, revealing raw, pinkish skin that looked as if someone had rubbed his face against a food grater. Through the holes she could see that his cheek flesh was almost completely gone beneath the mask, his teeth and gums fully visible. She winced and choked back a sob as she shut her eyes and began casting her weak healing spell upon him. Sprissa inched over to them and cradled her father's head in her lap as Lavinia continued casting, hoping beyond hope that it would mend the wounded flesh beneath and restore it to how it used to be, before the Giants.

Broud paused in the beating of Damascus and looked overhead as a shadow passed the moon. His mouth dropped open and hand fell lax at what he saw. "Sprissa… take shelter now." He murmured. Damascus, bloodied and humiliated, stumbled away from them and back into the city. Both Sprissa and Lavinia looked up in unison to find scores of Drakes flying overhead.

"Please let them be passing over…" Lavinia prayed, her heal spell fading with distraction. She looked down again as the crystal on Oonugh's neck began sparking again. Realization hit her like a brick, and she jumped to her feet. "We have to get out of here." She exclaimed, trying to pull Oonugh to his feet.

"Why?" Sprissa asked, also standing.

"The Giants are coming again!" she said, pointing to the crystal. Oonugh stared at her in shock, not realizing the crystal had been emanating electricity. Screams suddenly sounded from the city square, and Lavinia could hear the Drakes squealing as they descended.

"I knew you had a Giant with you!" Radyss' voice came, drawing their attention away from the flying Drakes. "And now look what's happening, you've brought the end to us all!" He held his hands in front of him, casting a light spell. "I shall kill him now and save us! You must surely love me for such bravery then, Lavinia!" he said defiantly.

"Can I?" Broud asked with raised eyebrows, standing next to him.

"Go ahead. Do us a favor." Lavinia said. An eager grin spread on Broud's face and he chopped the back of Radyss' neck with his hand, knocking the Summoner out. He crumpled to the ground in a heap, his spell dissolving. "Wow, I feel strangely manly tonight." Broud stated, flexing.

"Not now, we have to get to the Gatekeeper!" Sprissa said urgently as she and Lavinia helped Oonugh walk.

Just as they entered the city once again, a Drake flew low over them, and a person dropped down from it's back. Lavinia found herself facing another Dark Elf, identical in features to the one that she had seen several days ago save for her pointed bangs and the fact that she wore battered armor instead of robes.

"Give him to us, and we will leave your city." The Elf said, holding her hand out.

"Like hell we will!" Lavinia spat angrily. Broud growled and brandished his spear, swinging it at the Dark Elf. She stepped out of his reach easily as if she were dancing, none of his attacks touching her. She flipped herself backwards and cart wheeled out of his reach, coming back upright in front of Lavinia.

"I will have to kill you then." She said simply. Lavinia's eyes widened at the blank look the Elf had, shocked at how lifeless she seemed. Lavinia found herself sailing through the air a split second later, a Drake flying low and grabbing her by the back of her robes. She held onto the dragon's feet and kicked her legs uselessly, trying to wrench herself free.

"Lavinia!" she heard someone shout, too far away to tell whom it was exactly. She looked down to find the city suddenly a small speck below her, and felt her head reel in vertigo.

"This can't be happening…" she muttered, feeling strangely unafraid. Praying that she would fall into a bush, Lavinia waved her hands and chanted silently, a sudden waterfall appearing in the air and dumping over the Drake's head. It released her as it inhaled most of the water, flying helter-skelter into the distance.

She flew face-first back towards the city, and found Oonugh struggling with the other Dark Elf. Lavinia squinted her eyes shut as the white pavement of Aden neared quicker and quicker. Things went black as she suddenly felt two strong arms wrap around her, jerking her to a stop. She came to moments later, cradled in Oonugh's arms. Her neck hurt, and she surmised that she had whiplash from the sudden stop. That could be cured in time, however, the important thing was that she was alive.

Oonugh took deep breaths as if calming himself again, one hand behind Lavinia's head, cradling it against his shoulder. Over his mass of muscle, Lavinia could see the Dark Elf. Her head had been smashed against the pavement, blood spattering around it. To her horror, the Elf's hands were twitching, and the wound on her head was drawing closed.

"Oh my god.." Lavinia choked, blood flowing back towards the Dark Elf as if her body was absorbing it like a sponge.

"We need to get out of here, now!" Broud said urgently, he and Sprissa helping Oonugh stand. He set Lavinia on her feet, and the foursome hurried towards where they hoped the Gatekeeper was still standing. Lavinia cast one last glance over her shoulder, her eyes large as the Dark Elf began to push herself slowly to her knees.

"What is she?" she asked, frightened.

"One of the only perfect creations the Giants ever made." Oonugh responded. He said no more after that, his face grim.

They dashed across the square, which was in chaos and flames. Guards and warriors from every race fought the Drakes as city folk shrieked and dashed around, searching for shelter. The Drakes had already killed many, and some disappeared into the sky with a shrieking person clutched in their talons. The Gatekeeper was huddled against the church doors with the Lottery Ticket Seller. The doors were locked, the Priests thinking of themselves first and foremost. After all, they were the important leaders of the city proper, not some babbling merchant or warrior.

"Send us to Hunter's Village!" Lavinia commanded the Gatekeeper. Sprissa and Oonugh looked at her in surprise at the sudden aggressiveness she displayed. Broud stood behind them, spear ready, and scanned the crowd for the Dark Elf.

"If I send anyone anywhere, it'll be me!" the Gatekeeper shrieked, covering her head as a Drake flew low, it's target a plump rich man that waddled away as fast as he could. Leaving Sprissa to support Oonugh's weight alone, Lavinia darted forward and grabbed the Gatekeeper by the collar of her white dress and smacked her across the face so hard her plump white and green hat fell from her head. The sting seemed to shock some sense into the woman temporarily, and she stared at Lavinia in disbelief.

"I think she's been around us too long." Sprissa murmured to her father, her expression echoing the Gatekeepers.

"You can send yourself to Gracia for all I care, just send us to the damn Hunter's Village first!" Lavinia shouted into her face. Intimidated, the Gatekeeper nodded meekly and shrunk away from the skinny Elf. She took a breath to compose herself for a moment before steepling her hands in front of her chest, a white sphere forming between her palms. She released the spell quickly, and Lavinia found herself traveling through the familiar dimensional space as the Gatekeeper connected them with Hunter's Village.

They all arrived at the same time, falling onto one another in a pile. Oonugh landed on Lavinia's back, and her cheeks turned pink as she felt his breath against her temple. She looked over her shoulder to find him staring down at her with an unreadable expression, his arms on either side of her shoulders, supporting his weight from landing on her fully. He pushed himself to his feet slowly, staring out at the village expressionlessly. Broud helped him stand this time, and Sprissa pulled Lavinia to her feet.

"I'm sorry… it was the first place I could think of..." Lavinia apologized. A few villagers watched them suspiciously, eyeballing Broud more than Oonugh, surprisingly. "We should be safe here… if not just for the night…" Lavinia said weakly, hoping she hadn't betrayed Oonugh's trust. The crystal began to spark on his neck again, and the trio stared at it with large eyes.

"Try safe for a few hours." Oonugh murmured, pulling away from Broud. He limped towards the north exit and passed through the gates. Lavinia and the younger Orcs followed worriedly, afraid that he was going to cast himself down one of the chasms. To their surprise he did not, and instead grabbed a jagged rock from the grass.

"No, don't!" Lavinia cried, realizing instantly what he intended to do. Before anyone could stop him, Oonugh lifted the rock and smashed the crystal on the back of his neck. Electricity coursed over him, bringing him to his knees. The claw dislodged itself from his neck and dropped to the ground, twitching as if it were some live thing. The stone circle the center of the claw had rested in suddenly quivered and drew shut like some disgusting orifice as Oonugh supported himself up on his hands, panting.

"Now we will be safe for some time." He said weakly before collapsing onto his side.


	7. Chapter 7

They set up residence in an empty room on the upper ledge of the Village. Oonugh was unconscious well into the next day, and Lavinia watched with worry as his skin became paler and paler. She stood at the window of the house the following afternoon, watching Villagers pass by, going about their daily routine. Sprissa and Broud had wandered over to the Orc Guild earlier that morning, and had not yet returned. Lavinia began to wonder if they weren't somehow ashamed of Oonugh's pitiful state, with how they frequently left him alone.

"Life circles around, and I return to where it began." Oonugh's voice came weakly from the bed. Lavinia turned to find him staring up at the ceiling blankly, lost in memory. "This is where Sprissa was conceived, most likely." He explained, glancing at her. Lavinia looked down, blushing as she remembered Synshlee's explicit journal entries. Her blush deepened as it dawned on her that Oonugh knew she had read them.

"Are you feeling ok? Would you like something to eat?" Lavinia asked, seating herself on the edge of the bed. Oonugh chuckled and attempted to sit, his muscles too weak to fully support him. Lavinia instinctively reached out to help him, then hesitated when she remembered his earlier refusal of her assistance. He didn't resist her this time, and she gently helped him sit with his back against the headboard.

"I am not hungry now." He said with a sigh. He glanced around the room before returning his gaze on Lavinia. "Where are Broud and Sprissa?" he asked.

"They left to talk to the Head Prefect at the Orc Guild for some reason." She said, watching him in worry. His eyes seemed sunken in, and she didn't like the color of his skin. She began to worry that the claw had been something detrimental to his survival.

"Don't look at me like that; it makes me feel like I'm not hiding it well." Oonugh chuckled, shutting his eye. Lavinia's mouth parted slightly, and she felt fear settle itself in her chest. He smiled sadly at her as he opened his eye again, and patted her hand like an elderly person. "Yes, I am dying." He said openly, speaking her unvoiced fear for her. Her face contorted into one of sadness with his words, and tears fell from her eyes. She wanted to shout at him for teasing her, but she found that her voice wouldn't work. "Unless they can see it themselves, I must request of you not to tell my children. They worked so hard to find me, it would break my heart to let them down now." He said, the sad smile not wavering.

"How do you know?" Lavinia sobbed, sniffling loudly. She took Oonugh's hand in hers, holding it tightly. To her surprise, he held it just as firmly, his hand trembling slightly.

"That crystal was my life." He explained quietly. "It controlled my bodily functions for me. My brain will remember how to work for three more days before it dies, and then it's only a matter of time before the rest of my body follows." Lavinia ducked her head down as she sobbed, her hair falling over her face in strands. "Elf of Light, why do you cry so? We are still strangers, you and I." he said in a soft voice, lifting her face back up by placing a gentle finger under her chin.

"Because you don't deserve this!" she exclaimed violently. She laughed shortly and wiped her eyes, even though the tears had not ceased from falling. "You're right, I don't know you well, but I can't stop the way I feel about you!" she surprised herself by admitting this, but she felt as if this would be the last chance she had. "I don't know when or how, but somewhere along the way of when I first saw you in the Giant's Cave, I fell for you, you stupid Orc!"

"Don't." Oonugh said, his voice choked. He cupped her face with his hands, her cheeks almost lost beneath their size. He wiped under her eyes with his thumbs, his own face contorted into sadness as he stared at her. "Don't do this." He pleaded. "Don't hurt yourself by wasting such a cherished emotion on an old, broken fool like me. It breaks my heart." A tear fell from his visible eye, filling Lavinia with a bittersweet joy, as she could tell he felt the same as she.

She leaned forward and kissed him, placing a hand on the cheek that was not covered in armor. Unlike the kiss he shared with Synshlee nearly fifty years prior, this one was tender, and filled with Lavinia's feelings. She broke the kiss to cling to him, not holding back her sobbing any longer. Oonugh held her back just as tightly, stroking her hair with his hand, and the Orc and Elf wept together for the future, wishing they could change the past.

They emerged late that afternoon in search of water, Oonugh too weak to walk alone. She led him slowly across the suspension bridge leading to the main part of the village and headed towards the Grocer. Broud and Sprissa stood outside, talking in low voices. They turned and stared at the pair in surprise as they approached them, curiously noting the puffiness of their eyes.

"What did the Prefect say?" Oonugh asked in a light tone, trying to divert any questions. Broud and Sprissa averted their eyes, Broud nervously rubbing the back of his neck. "Bad news?" he questioned, raising his eyebrow.

"The Prefect wants us out of here. He thinks the Giant's handmaidens will find you, even without the crystal." Sprissa said grimly. Oonugh chuckled lightly, gaining a surprised look from both of his children.

"I expected as much." He said with a wise smile. "Well then, I suppose we have no choice but to pack up and be on our way. We can sell my old claw to a Dwarf, that should give us enough money to live on for the next year." He looked down at Lavinia, squeezing her close in an affectionate manner. "Where shall we go, Innadril? I heard the reef is beautiful this time of year.."

"How can you be so light hearted?" Broud demanded, stomping a foot at him. "You're being ostracized, and all you can think about is vacationing like some retiree from Giran!" Oonugh looked at him with his eyebrow raised again, surprised at his reaction. Broud cleared his throat and looked to the side, embarrassment coloring his face. Oonugh sighed heavily and patted Broud's shoulder.

"It's all right, I understand how you feel." Oonugh stated sympathetically. "And I've decided where we should go. At the top of Cruma Tower there's technology left by the Giants called The Core. Perhaps I can convince it to throw off the Handmaiden's trail, it's supposed to be rather intelligent." He said, his smile not wavering.

"How do you know about that?" Lavinia asked, surprised. Oonugh glanced down at her, his smile turning warm, but did not answer her.

"All right, Cruma Tower it is." Sprissa decided. "I'll go get the claw and barter with the Dwarf, we should be able to leave by tonight."

"Good." Oonugh nodded. "In the meantime, Lavinia and I shall restock provisions for the trip." With that they walked away from the younger Orcs, leaving them staring in wonder as they disappeared into the grocer.

"Am I seeing things right?" Broud asked, rubbing his eyes with his thumb and forefinger.

"I think so, because I'm seeing it too." She answered, watching them with a slow-spreading grin.


	8. Chapter 8

They paid for a Gatekeeper spell all the way to Dion, staying overnight in the inn there before hopping on a farmer's cart as he plodded his way to the Marshlands in search of giant toads for the end-of-summer festival that Dion celebrated every year. Oonugh put on a strong front before his children, but Lavinia could see the growing weariness in his eyes. She sat close to him on the edge of the cart, her feet dangling over the edge. To her surprise he threaded his fingers through hers, holding her hand. She smiled up at him sadly, and they watched the countryside roll by slowly.

Sprissa grinned at Broud as she watched the two from farther up in the cart, shaking her head at her brother, silently telling him to leave them be. He sighed and rolled his eyes, Ketra teaching still strong in his blood and finding the idea of an Orc and Light Elf together disgusting, despite how he visibly tried to fight it.

Night fell, and the howls emanating from the Tower grew louder. Lavinia's heart began to pound in anticipation, and she turned to look over her shoulder at the top of the tower that could be seen over the hills.

"It sounds like the Caves already." Oonugh said, amused, drawing Lavinia's attention back to him. "It's odd, but somehow I feel like I'm going home. I suppose spending forty years in a place will do that to you." He glanced out at the countryside, his eyes glazing over wistfully as he remembered something from his past.

"What…. What happened in there?" Lavinia asked in a hushed voice. She regretted the words as soon as she uttered them, fearing that he'd have another nervous breakdown from memory. It was an ungrounded fear, as he instead looked at her with a smile and squeezed her hand lightly.

"After Synshlee escaped, I spent the next few minutes fighting off the beasts in there. I held up pretty good, I think, after all the only thing I lost was my leg." He said, pointing to the Bugbear leg. "You might find a Lesser Giant in there somewhere with it grafted on." He chuckled. He sighed, the smile slowly melting away from his face. "I was brought back to the Giant the twins had led Synshlee and I to. He said something in their forgotten language, and next thing I knew I was dragged into the lowest recesses of the Cave." He passed a hand over his eye as if sliding open a door that had been firmly shut before, accepting all that lay behind it. "I spent countless years drifting in and out of a comatose state, I think. I do remember the Giants attempting to study mating habits, as I woke up to find one of the Handmaidens sitting on me several times." Lavinia blushed a bright red and looked down at her knees, now really regretting asking him. "It was ten years ago, I think, when they put me in the cube after dissecting me. I guess they'd had their fill of studying me finally and just left me there until they found another use for me." He said, staring out into the distance again. He squeezed Lavinia's hand reflexively as he was lost in his memories once more.

We'll be arriving soon!" The farmer announced loudly, snapping the horse reins. Broud nudged Sprissa, who had fallen asleep, with his foot, rousing her. Feelings of dread suddenly seized Lavinia's heart and she looked up at Oonugh as if seeing him for the first time.

"Why did you want to go to the Tower when you only have a day left?" she whispered, her eyes large. He smiled at her mysteriously, glancing down at her without moving his head.

"_She went to Cruma Tower with this sword she'd found in the Cave of Trials. She met a god on the top floor, can you believe it? Sliced a neat cut in his throat before he speared her too."_ Damascus' voice suddenly echoed in her head. She opened her mouth and drew in a sharp breath, putting her hand on Oonugh's in alarm. He shook his head at her and lifted his finger to his lips, silencing her. Lavinia bit her lower lip to quell the grief that threatened to show on her face, trying to compose herself.

The farmer let them off at the south end of the Marshlands, and Lavinia stared into the thin mist that blanketed the ground. All was silent save for the soft purring noises a Marsh Stakato made somewhere in the distance. Lavinia knew the Marshlands were dangerous, as bandits always roamed freely there, looking for a fresh kill.

"We should be safe." Broud proclaimed, noticing the look of worry on Lavinia's face. "There are three Orcs here. Most bandits are humans, and know better not to trifle with more than one Orc." He grinned confidently, puffing out his chest in Orcish pride.

"Shall we be off?" Oonugh stated, his voice slightly breathless.

"Don't you need to rest first?" Sprissa asked, worried. Oonugh forced a confident smile on his own face, and stood up as straight as he could.

"I'll be fine. It's best if we get to the Tower quickly. Despite that there are three of us and a powerful Spellsinger, I'd prefer not to get caught unawares." Oonugh said wisely.

They trekked slowly through the marsh; Lavinia using her spells to take down any beasts ahead of them without having to exert themselves for weak monsters. The journey across the marshlands was several hours long, and by the time they reached the Gatekeeper standing patiently inside Tower's ground floor, Oonugh was leaning heavily on Lavinia once again. She stumbled under his weight, yet attempted to carry on, determined to keep her promise to him and not give away his condition to Broud or Sprissa. They were sharper than Oonugh had given them credit for, however, and kept casting worried glances in their direction.

"What are you coming to the Tower for today?" The Gatekeeper asked brightly, happy to see someone other than blood-covered bandits.

"We'd like to go in, please." Oonugh said politely. The Gatekeeper's face fell slightly in disappointment at having to send them on their way so quickly, but she transported them inside anyway.

Lavinia stood in the doorway of the room the Gatekeeper had sent them too, and stared out across the Tower for the first time. It was strange inside, as if the Tower were built in dimensional space. There were floating pathways and rooms attached to them, stretching as far as her eyes could see. Above them was another floor; identical to the one they stood on from what she could tell.

They trudged through the rooms, Oonugh directing them as if he knew they way by heart, despite claiming of having never set foot inside the Tower before. By the time they reached the second floor, another couple of hours later, Oonugh could barely hold himself up, and Lavinia finally stumbled to her knees under his weight.

"What is going on?" Broud demanded, kneeling beside them and pulling Oonugh off of Lavinia. He was breathing heavily, and sweat dripped off of his face. His skin had taking on a grayish color, similar to that Broud had when Lavinia had first seen him.

"Father, are you ill?" Sprissa asked worriedly as she supported him on his other side. Oonugh didn't answer them, and instead pointed in the direction he wanted them to go.

"What is the matter with him?" Broud demanded, turning to look at Lavinia. She bit her lower lip but didn't say anything, and averted their stares. Broud made sure Sprissa could support Oonugh's weight before slipping out from under his arm and hauling Lavinia up by her tunic, glaring angrily into her face. "You KNOW something! Answer me or I'll…"

"Leave her be, she is just my unwilling accomplice." Oonugh said, his voice strangely slurred. Broud slowly set her back on her feet, staring at Oonugh with large eyes. "Take me to the Core room, and I'll explain everything." He promised.

Lavinia took the lead this time, clearing the constructed beasts left behind with her spells. She thanked Broud and Sprissa silently, as her heart couldn't handle much more of watching Oonugh deteriorate. She could concentrate on other things as she fought, and not think about what was to come.

They reached the Core room without fail, the room strangely devoid of the constructed creatures that usually prowled it. The Core sat at the far side of the room, the large sphere sitting on top of the strange metallic device that hummed and beeped with noises they'd never heard before.

Oonugh's hair had turned white on their journey, and he began to look slightly shriveled, as if he were drying up inside. He directed Sprissa and Broud to take him to the center of the room, where he found a dark stain gracing the floor.

"Ah yes… this will be perfect." He said breathlessly as they gently helped him sit. "I will be able to join Synshlee in the abyss from here, I thank you for helping me make it this far."

Sprissa sobbed and covered her mouth, realizing that she had Broud had been helping her father reach his final resting place. Broud growled and grabbed Oonugh by the tattered tunic he wore, shaking him roughly.

"What do you mean by that, huh? What was that talk of talking to that Core thing to make it leave you be?" he demanded, his voice cracking. Oonugh smiled weakly at him.

"I lied." He said simply. Broud released him slowly, his eyes large. He stood, staring at the Orc in disbelief. "Lavinia…" Oonugh called, peering around Broud's waist at her. She had lingered behind, tears pouring from her eyes. He reached a hand out to her, and she walked forward to take it. He pulled her down to kneel in front of him and cupped her cheek with his hand. "I want you to forget all that has happened these past few days." He said gently, wiping the tears from her eyes. "You deserve someone like you, someone younger and not so ridden with guilt and sin." Lavinia sobbed once, and Sprissa sunk to her knees beside them, covering her face with her hands.

"I don't WANT someone else!" Lavinia cried, placing her hand over his and pressing it into her face. She kissed his palm gently and sniffled loudly.

"Shh." Oonugh commanded, lifting his other hand and pressing it to her lips. "You must. I will be a memory, as I should've been long ago." He removed his hand from Lavinia's cheek and placed it over Sprissa's head. "You are the perfect mix of your mother and I, Sprissa. I am as proud of you…" he looked up to Broud, who had turned away from them, "…as I am of your brother."

Broud walked away from them and to the Core, where he suddenly roared and punched the device with all of his might. His hand went through a panel, harmless static electricity surrounding his arm.

"BEEP… BEEP… ERROR." The Core suddenly said, startling them. "INTRUDERS DETECTED, PROTECTION SEQUENCE INITIATED." Broud backed up in shock, reaching for the poleaxe on his back.

"Core, override auto command." A voice came from behind it. From either side stepped the two Dark Elves, as whole and hale as the first time they had seen them.

"What do you want? Leave us in peace!" Lavinia shouted at them tearfully. The twins tilted their heads as if regarding her demand curiously, but their faces did not change.

"Gamlin #2566 is dying." The one wearing armor said.

"Shall we initiate destruction sequence?" Zraa asked in the same emotionless tone. Her sister, whom Lavinia could only assume was Hydrosfear from Synshlee's account blinked several times, as if considering this.

"No need, destruction sequence appears to already be activated." She said. She gazed at the others as if seeing them for the first time. "Initiate retrieval program. Gamlin #2566 must be replaced."

"Over my dead body!" Broud snarled, swinging his poleaxe at them. They disappeared into the air, moving quicker than Broud could see. They appeared again behind him and in unison pushed on his back, and sent him flying across the room and into the opposite wall. He hit the stone hard and fell forward, unconscious. They turned their gaze upon Sprissa and Lavinia, who protectively stood in front of Oonugh.

"Get out of here!" Oonugh hissed. He was unable to sit up now, and attempted to hold himself up by his arms. After receiving a quick set of spells that enhanced her strength of magic from Sprissa, Lavinia began quickly casting at the two sisters, trying to keep them away. They merely stumbled when hit, and did not cease their advancing. Lavinia used her aura spell as they neared, and Sprissa swung her mace with as much force as she could. Like Broud, Sprissa was sent flying across the room by a simple push from Zraa. Lavinia cast another aura spell, sending the twins backwards a few feet. She panted in exertion, as they stood slowly, unscathed.

"Subject shows great resistance." Zraa said, touching a scorched place on her chest.

"Our master will be pleased." Hydrosfear agreed. Lavinia swallowed, her throat suddenly dry, and quickly cast another spell. They disappeared before the bolt of holy lightning struck Hydrosfear, and Lavinia's eyes widened in fright.

They both reappeared in front of her with a choked noise, Oonugh's arms extended and catching them around their necks. He had risen as quickly as they had moved, the technology the Giants had placed within him rivaling their own. The armor was crumbling away from his body, revealing the unhealed dissection the Giants had left him in, but Lavinia was not disgusted by it.

"You will not take another loved one from me again." He snarled at them as the helmet crumbled away. His right eye barely fit into its socket, most of the skin cut away. He lacked an eyelid, the organ seeping tears as it tried desperately to stay moistened. They flipped from his grip in unison and appeared again several feet away, their heads tilted in mock curiosity once more. After glancing at one another silently they disappeared, appearing again in front of the Orc and extending their arms to push them as they had with Sprissa and Broud. Unlike his children, Oonugh merely slid a few feet, coming to a stop next to Lavinia.

"Oonugh…" Lavinia murmured, awed that he had such strength still.

"I love you." He said in a low voice, not looking at her. She froze with her eyes wide, as he crouched like a cat. The twins disappeared once again, and he smirked at Lavinia once before propelling himself forward. He seemingly plucked them from the air as they attempted to slip around him. Without stopping he slammed them into the Core's base, breaking through the machine's paneling and exposing the raw currents of electricity beneath.

"FATHER!" Sprissa screamed, still kneeling on the floor. The electricity didn't stop, Oonugh and the twins' muscles jerking back and forth from it. Lavinia knelt next to Sprissa and covered her head, protecting her from the sight as smoke began to rise from them. Broud, who covered them both with his massive body, protected her from the scene in turn.

"BEEP...ERROR. BEEP…" the Core announced, it's mechanical voice crackling. "TERMIN…A…TING…." It's voice deepened as the sphere suddenly lost its glow, dousing the room in almost complete darkness. Green veins similar to that in the Giant's Cave suddenly sprung to life on the walls, bathing the room in a dim light.

They remained like that, hugging each other, Sprissa and Lavinia crying quietly. Broud suddenly released them as a warm, fire-lit glow suddenly filled the room. Lavinia lifted her head as he stood, Sprissa pulling away. Her mouth parted slightly in awe as the tall figure of an Orc-like man with bronzed skin and braided hair as black as charcoal stood next to the charred statue that had once been Oonugh.

"Great Flame…" Sprissa breathed, standing slowly.

"Paagrio…" Broud said in an equally awed voice. Upon hearing his name, the god turned to look at them, his eyes as red as the deepest flame. He then looked back to Oonugh's form sadly, and reached out a hand to touch it. Lavinia approached the god slowly and sobbed once as Oonugh's form crumbled into black ash.

"Blood and legacy of the great warrior…" Paagrio said, looking at Sprissa and Broud. A drop of blood from the wound left by the twins on Broud's mouth and a lock of hair from Sprissa's head suddenly detached themselves from their owners and floated towards the god. He caught them in his wide hand, and dropped it into the pile of ash. "Flame of birth, flame of renewal." He said next, holding his hand level with his mouth and blowing on it. A tiny ball of flame appeared above it, and he dropped this too into the ash. The hair and blood caught fire, creating a strangely comforting light. Paagrio then turned his red eyes upon Lavinia, who stared at him without fear. "Lend me your tears, child of water." He said gently, reaching out to her. He plucked two teardrops from her eyes, which glistened on his fingertips like jewels. "Love awakens that which was lost, bringing back what was unrightfully severed from this place." He turned his hand over the flame, the tears dropping from it and dousing the fire with a hiss of steam.

Before Lavinia's eyes, a ball emerged from the ashes, shaking slightly. A furry head poked out, and sniffed the air before yawning. Lavinia stared in awe as a creature that resembled an Elpy without a horn shook the black dust from its fur and blinked at Paagrio with sleepy lids. Brown fur the color of Oonugh's hair covered its body except for it's feet, which were scaled and talon-like, similar to that of a dragon, and it's tail, which also resembled that of a dragon. It yawned again and hiccupped, a burst of flame coming from its mouth.

"Father?" Sprissa asked in a small voice.

What did you do to him?" Broud shouted, taking a step towards the god. Awestruck, Lavinia knelt and held her arms out to the creature. It regarded her curiously for a moment before sniffing her hand and bounding into her embrace. It nuzzled her cheek happily and let out a cooing noise.

"Cherish him now as you did before, and he will surely return as he was before my sister tragically ripped him from this world." Paagrio said, smiling a wistful smile.

"I will." Lavinia promised, petting the strange creature that had never before been seen in the world. With that the god disappeared in a burst of flame, leaving the children of Oonugh staring in shock at what had just transpired while Lavinia cuddled the strange new creature that was somehow Oonugh, yet not.


	9. Epilogue

"Lavinia!" Radyss shouted across the square. Lavinia sighed heavily and halted, rolling her eyes.

"Aww, don't wait up for him!" Ichigo pouted, stamping her foot. "What if all of the monsters are gone by the time we get there?" she asked, glaring at Lavinia. The Elf chuckled at her small companion and patted her head, amused by Ichigo's impatience to hunt.

"Lavinia, is it true you're leaving Aden?" Radyss asked, his expression mournful.

"You are correct, sir." She responded lightly, tossing her hair over her shoulders.

"But why? You have so much going for you here!" Radyss exclaimed. "If you leave, I shan't talk again!" he said, putting a hand on her cheek. He suddenly yelped and withdrew it, a bleeding wound welling up on his finger. The rabbit-creature emerged from his hiding spot in Lavinia's pack, his ears pressed against his head, hissing at Radyss. "What in the world is that?" he exclaimed, holding his finger as if it were going to fall off.

"Sorry, but Oon is extremely jealous." Lavinia said in amusement, scratching the rabbit-dragon behind the ear. "Oh, and I hope people won't miss your eloquent speeches too much. Goodbye." She smiled sweetly at him and turned away, leaving him staring dumbfounded at her back.

"Is that thing really Mr. Big Man?" Ichigo asked as they approached the Gatekeeper. Lavinia glanced at the small beast, which had wrapped his reptilian tail around her neck to keep himself balanced as he snuggled down on her shoulder to sleep.

"I believe it is." Lavinia sighed, patting him on the head. He cooed happily, and Lavinia chuckled.

"Will he ever go back to being Mr. Big Man instead of Mr. Drabbit-thing?" Ichigo asked curiously, poking at his head with her finger. He opened one eye to look at her before shutting it again and covering his face with his paws.

"I don't know, Ichigo." Lavinia sighed sadly.

"OH! I forgot something!" Ichigo exclaimed. "Stay here, I'll be right back!" She shouted, dropping her pack at Lavinia's feet and dashing towards the Warehouse. Lavinia watched her retreat with a smile, happy to be by her bouncy friend once again.

Lavinia suddenly noticed the creature around her neck had disappeared, and she drew in a breath, her muscles tensing to turn and look for it just as a pair of muscular arms wrapped themselves around her shoulders protectively. Her heart began to thud at the familiarity of it and she squinted into the air, her expression a mixture of sadness and wistfulness. She raised a hand and placed it over the arm hesitantly, gasping lightly as she realized it were real. His skin was as hot as Paagrio's fingertips had been, and as she looked down she noticed it was tan instead of the green it had once been.

"It won't be long, please wait for me." Oonugh's voice whispered into her ear. She shut her eyes at the feel of it reverberating through his chest, which was pressed against her back. She nodded slightly, yearning to turn around and look at him coiling through her muscles. He released her slowly, her eyes snapping open as he withdrew.

"Oon…" she began, turning around to call him back. Nobody stood behind her, and the rabbit-creature chirped from the ground, calling her attention to it. Lavinia smiled sadly and reached down to pick him up, cuddling him as he rubbed against her face like a cat.

"I got it, are we ready?" Ichigo asked brightly, bouncing up to her with another travel pack over her shoulder. She frowned at the bittersweet expression Lavinia wore. "Whassa matter with you, does your tummy hurt?" she asked, tilting her head.

"No, I'm fine. I'm ready to go now." Lavinia said, clearing her throat as the rabbit-creature took up his spot around her neck again.

"Yay! Where shall we go?" Ichigo wondered aloud as she stood in front of the Gatekeeper. She put a finger to her chin and let out a thoughtful noise.

"Anywhere you want to go, Ichigo. I have all the time in the world." Lavinia smiled.


End file.
